{"id":18508,"date":"2018-05-22T18:58:55","date_gmt":"2018-05-22T10:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-president-gwynne-shotwell-sees-satellites-as-bigger-market-than-rockets\/"},"modified":"2018-05-22T18:58:55","modified_gmt":"2018-05-22T10:58:55","slug":"spacex-president-gwynne-shotwell-sees-satellites-as-bigger-market-than-rockets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-president-gwynne-shotwell-sees-satellites-as-bigger-market-than-rockets\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell sees satellites as bigger market than rockets"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Gwynne
SpaceX\u2019s president and chief operating officer, Gwynne Shotwell, talks about the company\u2019s future financial frontier. (CNBC via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SpaceX is taking a commanding role in the rocket business \u2014 but Gwynne Shotwell, the company\u2019s president and chief operating officer, expects the satellite business to be more lucrative.<\/p>\n

Shotwell sized up SpaceX\u2019s road ahead in a CNBC interview that aired today in connection with the cable network\u2019s latest Disruptor 50 list. For the second year in a row, the space venture founded by billionaire Elon Musk leads the list.<\/p>\n

The 18 launches by SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rockets accounted for 20 percent of the world\u2019s orbital liftoffs last year, and Shotwell said she expects the launch tally to rise to between 24 and 28 for this year.<\/p>\n

Next year, however, could bring a \u201cslight slowdown\u201d to a level that\u2019s more in line with 2017\u2019s pace, Shotwell said. That\u2019s due to a projected decline in demand for satellite launches.<\/p>\n

The satellite launch service market has grown to an estimated $5.5 billion in 2016, according to the latest State of the Satellite Industry Report. But that pales in comparison with the $127.7 billion market for satellite services and the $113.4 billion market for satellite ground services.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why SpaceX is putting its chips down on a plan to provide global broadband access through its own satellite constellation, known as Starlink.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe market size for launches is dramatically less than telecommunications, so that\u2019s a nice way to go and make additional revenue,\u201d Shotwell said.<\/p>\n

\"SpaceX
SpaceX\u2019s Redmond office is the center for its satellite operations. (GeekWire photo by Kevin Lisota)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Internal financial documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal last year suggest that SpaceX expects its satellite data service to bring in more than $30 billion in annual revenue by 2025.<\/p>\n

SpaceX\u2019s facilities in Redmond, Wash., have been given leading roles in the Starlink development effort. Shotwell and other executives have been reluctant to say much about the operation for proprietary reasons, but back in 2015, Musk said the Seattle-area operation could eventually employ \u201cmaybe a thousand people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s website currently lists more 100 open positions in Redmond.<\/p>\n

In February, SpaceX launched the first two prototype satellites for the Starlink constellation, and in March, the Federal Communications Commission gave its thumbs-up to SpaceX\u2019s plans. Musk has said Starlink\u2019s Version 1 level of service could be available by 2020, but today Shotwell suggested that the technical and financial details have yet to be fully worked out.<\/p>\n

She said SpaceX\u2019s experience with the Dragon cargo capsule, and the crew-capable version of the Dragon that\u2019s currently being tested, will come in handy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very complementary to the work that we\u2019re doing right now,\u201d Shotwell said. \u201cDragon is a very sophisticated \u2018satellite,\u2019 and we have our own launch capability, so \u2026 assuming we get the physics right, as well as the business right, I think we\u2019ll be able to emplace a constellation that could be quite successful.\u201d<\/p>\n