CNBC Marathon explores SpaceX's quest to win the space race.

SpaceX’s broadband satellite internet, Starlink, is expected to be a cash cow for SpaceX, bringing in as much as $30 billion a year — more than 10 times the annual revenue of its existing rocket business. This revenue will be used to fuel Starlink's CEO, Elon Musk’s ultimate goal of building a colony on Mars. Eventually, Starlink may even keep us connected on the Red Planet.

To get real-life first impressions of the service, CNBC spoke to more than 50 people who have been using Starlink. Those surveyed included households in Canada and 13 U.S. states: California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Starship is SpaceX’s largest reusable rocket. It can carry more than 100 metric tons of cargo and crew per launch. Musk, says Starship represents the “holy grail” for space travel, but the giant rocket vehicle also is crucial for SpaceX’s future. Some experts have estimated that if SpaceX succeeds with Starship alongside Starlink, the space firm’s valuation could skyrocket into the trillions of dollars. But before SpaceX can get Starship into orbit, the company faces a number of technical and regulatory challenges.

The rocket business is heating up and one startup has grand ambitions of following SpaceX to orbit. With a team comprised of industry veterans, Firefly Aerospace wants to be a dominant launch provider in the growing small satellite market. While the rewards are great, the risk are high. The company already suffered through a bankruptcy and is still trying to reach orbit.
CNBC Marathon brings together the best of CNBC on YouTube.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:39 Why Starlink is crucial to SpaceX’s success (Published April 2021)
19:46 Why Starship is the holy grail for SpaceX (Published March 2022)
34:33 How ex-SpaceX engineers are fueling the space race with Firefly (Published November 2021)

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How SpaceX Could Win The Space Race | CNBC Marathon