Veytics Intelligence
2026-11-13 · Yahoo

I booked the first used Falcon 9 booster. Where will satellite operators go when SpaceX retires it?

In 2016, I agreed to put a communications satellite owned by SES on a Falcon 9 booster that SpaceX had already flown. No commercial customer had ever done such a thing before, but as chief technology officer at SES, I had overseen the work our engineers had carried out with SpaceX. Their engineers had shown us how they tested the engines, checked the electronics, and prepared the booster for a second flight. I was confident in SpaceX's ability to deliver, and they did. In March 2017, they used the booster to launch our satellite. I would oversee six Falcon 9 launches during my time at SES. But today, as an investor in growth-stage space companies, I find myself wondering what company I would book if I still had that job.

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