SpaceX’s megarocket is on the verge of paradigm-shifting success. It’s spurring a ‘crisis’

SpaceX’s megarocket is on the verge of paradigm-shifting success. It’s spurring a ‘crisis’

The most powerful rocket ever made, SpaceX’s Starship, reached orbit for the first time on Monday, deploying operational Starlink satellites in an unprecedented step forward. The mission marked the beginning of a new era — and possibly the beginning of the end of another.

As Starship flights ramp up, SpaceX has made clear that the company will phase out the use of two of its most iconic creations: the Dragon spacecraft, which ferries astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station, and the Falcon 9 rocket, which for a decade has dominated the global launch market.

These vehicles not only revolutionized the space industry in their own way, they’re also still very much essential to ongoing work in Earth orbit, without clear backup options in place. The prospect of this loss is already spurring panic among some satellite operators, said Caleb Henry, director of research at analytics firm Quilty Space.

“For small satellite operators, which tend to be more entrepreneurial, this crisis has been percolating for about six months at least,” Henry said. “In order to raise money, startups need to show they have a viable path to orbit. They have to move quickly.”

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has for years offered a crucial route for getting satellites to space. Losing the rocket could slow down development of new technologies, such as direct-to-cellular connectivity — which promises to eliminate dead zones — and space-based data centers for AI computing, Henry said.