SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell expects the company to generate revenue this year from its Starlink broadband satellite platform and Starship heavy-lift reusable launch vehicle, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Shotwell, a four-time Wash100 Award winner, added contract funds for NASA missions involving the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft have exceeded $4.9 billion.
She admitted that the simultaneous development of Starship and Starlink is a challenge for the company and requires “a lot of money, every year.”
Starship needs to be tested on other operations, such as carrying Starlink satellites into space, before it can be used in NASA’s planned moon landing initiative, she explained.
In December, SpaceX started its new Starshield business with the goal of supporting government national security programs while applying the technology and launch capability of its commercially inclined satellite internet constellation.
Elon Musk’s space transportation venture aims to complete up to 100 orbital flights in 2023.
