The May 25th launch success of the Elon Musk-backed SpaceX Falcon rocket has resulted in a very prompt commercial order from Intelsat. Musk is perhaps better known as the co-founder of PayPal and the cash behind the all-electric Tesla car.

However, the Falcon rocket system is now being claimed – by Musk – as the world’s fastest-growing space launch company, and he is justifiably right. However, to put his undoubted success into perspective he has a way to go just yet before beginning to match the steady success rate of the likes of Arianespace and International Launch Services.

But last week’s launch is a major step forward for SpaceX and secures fresh business from NASA (which needs his cargo-carrying rockets to get men and materials to and from the International Space Station). And it has secured this order from Intelsat. Luxembourg-based SES also has launch options with the Falcon system, as have other commercial operators.

Intelsat and SES are seeking reliability, of course, but also lower-costs to orbit their DTH and telecom satellites. Musk’s SpaceX is promising to bring down the costs by providing more launches per annum, and at a lower cost for each individual rocket. Time will tell how this scheme works out, but the support of Intelsat and the likes of SES is a major step in the right direction.

Other posts by Chris Forrester:

1. Thuraya-3 suffers major problem
2. AST SpaceMobile hit by Class Action
3. Optimism under threat at SES
4. Rivada visits Terran Orbital’s manufacturing HQ
5. Avanti wins spectrum debt obligation case
6. SpaceX breaks records for re-use launchers
7. IRIS2 already in trouble?
8. Intelsat contemplates next steps
9. SpaceX: 2.7m customers and $180bn value

Categories: Blogs, DTH/Satellite, Inside Satellite