New Mars Forums
You are not logged in.
- Topics: Active | Unanswered
Announcement
Pages: 1
#1 2025-12-16 10:58:03
- Void
- Member
- Registered: 2011-12-29
- Posts: 10,006
Mass Producing Rockets Like Cars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKQMER75Vms
Quote:
China wants to mass-produce space rockets like cars
Inside China Business
I believe that SpaceX is already on that path, and I expect that many more could be as well.
So, China can stuff as much capitol into this as they want to, being the kind of government that they are.
SpaceX is apparently strongly considering a IPO to the Stock Market.
The government now seems to own 10% of Intel: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/t … at-to-know Quote:
Trump says U.S. has gained 10% stake in Intel for $11.1 billion in government funds
Politics Updated on Aug 22, 2025 7:17 PM EST — Published on Aug 22, 2025 4:31 PM EST
It is fairly obvious that if we believe that the space industry is going to be increasingly profitable, our government and other entities, even China perhaps may be able to buy SpaceX stock, or other space company stocks as a mechanism of wealth promotion and also as to some degrees have influence on company decisions.
So, this is a different route than NASA. However, the government might give some control of share voting to NASA, maybe.
If the government were to invest in space companies, then this could strengthen our national financial situation, presuming the ideas of Data Centers and Space Based Solar Power, Etc. are actually going to be profitable.
I am guessing that Elon Musk and others have already seen this potential, but if not, they need to consider the future nature of things as they may become, if these companies trade on the stock market.
I think the situation will be mostly upside, but maybe others understand this more than I do.
So, this could put SpaceX, Blue Origin, others on steroids more or less to both gain the country financially and to promote advanced technology.
Ending Pending 
Last edited by Void (2025-12-16 11:09:41)
Be careful what you wish for.
Offline
Like button can go here
#2 2026-10-23 14:35:32
- HG Muller
- Member
- Registered: 2017-06-17
- Posts: 48
Re: Mass Producing Rockets Like Cars
Isn't this what the Soviets/Russians have been doing from the very beginning? They launched about everything with the same rocket from Sputnik to Soyuz, several per week. Only the uper stage was added / upgraded.
Offline
Like button can go here
#3 2026-10-23 16:31:49
- Calliban
- Member
- From: Northern England, UK
- Registered: 2019-08-18
- Posts: 4,443
Re: Mass Producing Rockets Like Cars
This was how the original 'Big Dumb Booster' concept was framed. Build large numbers of simple, pressure-fed rockets. Build them as large as possible. Don't attempt reusability. Ditch them into the ocean and build new ones, go for greater volume of production and bring down costs in that way. The idea has gone quiet in recent years. I think everyone assumed that Musk's overwhelming success with reusable rockets made the idea obsolete. But given the pounding that the Starship upper stage takes during atmospheric entry, maybe it does still make sense. The energy invested in putting a Starship upper stage in orbit is thrown away when it reenters the atmosphere. Maybe a simplified, expendable upper stage with greater production levels makes more sense. It isn't like there are no potential uses for a spent Starship in orbit. We could cannibalise it to produce space station parts, large ship hulls or even grind it up for ion thruster propellant.
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
Offline
Like button can go here
Pages: 1