and seems they got the faring back too.
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=42544.msg1661124#msg1661124
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SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch: SES-10. Reusability is here.
- Thread starter Jezbollah
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and seems they got the faring back too.
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=42544.msg1661124#msg1661124
Holy shit, can you imagine?
Sweet. Interesting that its not just a chute.
Wow, hugely successful mission! Definitely have to get down there to watch a launch this year.
Pagusas
Elden Member
Imagine if we have a whole fleet of these. Launches could be going off every few minutes.
Aruarian Reflection
Chauffeur de la gdlk
Well, that was amazing. Flew down to Florida to witness history in the making. Also fulfilled a dream I've had since childhood to see and feel a live space rocket launch. Still a little teary-eyed. Go SpaceX!
I was at the Kennedy Space center viewing at the Saturn V complex. The only downside to the event was that they had trouble getting the SpaceX audio feed to play on the speakers, so we missed the countdown. There was an announcer doing live commentary the whole event but even though he announced that there was one minute left to the launch window, we weren't expecting the rocket to launch right at the beginning of the window so there was no countdown
(photo is off the back of my camera). Needed a 100-400 lens + a IIX extender to get a view this close on a full frame camera
I was at the Kennedy Space center viewing at the Saturn V complex. The only downside to the event was that they had trouble getting the SpaceX audio feed to play on the speakers, so we missed the countdown. There was an announcer doing live commentary the whole event but even though he announced that there was one minute left to the launch window, we weren't expecting the rocket to launch right at the beginning of the window so there was no countdown
bonesmccoy
Banned
Space Agency/Company logos are amongst my favourite things.
The combination of its shape, lack of size reference ( i.e. everything is huge, the launch pad, the strongback, the barge, the paint on the barge, the legs and fins) and the maneuverability of it make it so hard for me to accurately appreciate its size when watching launches, even though I know how big it is.
Makes the concept of the hover slam even scarier yet more impressive. Makes sense that a camera would lose its shit upon landing with those 9 Merlin engines.
Also makes me wish I could have seen a Saturn V launch. Just a mammoth of machinery and power. Fortunately I will see an ITS launch well within my lifetime, and that will be even bigger than the S5.
Head of Vengarl
Banned
Well, that was amazing. Flew down to Florida to witness history in the making. Also fulfilled a dream I've had since childhood to see and feel a live space rocket launch. Still a little teary-eyed. Go SpaceX!
(photo is off the back of my camera). Needed a 100-400 lens + a IIX extender to get a view this close on a full frame camera
I was at the Kennedy Space center viewing at the Saturn V complex. The only downside to the event was that they had trouble getting the SpaceX audio feed to play on the speakers, so we missed the countdown. There was an announcer doing live commentary the whole event but even though he announced that there was one minute left to the launch window, we weren't expecting the rocket to launch right at the beginning of the window so there was no countdown
Super jealous you got to witness that live. What a cool experience.
A mind buggeringly enormous spectacle it must have been.
I have been in Florida on 3 occasions when launches were due for the Shuttle, each time they were delayed until the day after my flight home.
Makes me want to go and rewatch Apollo 13, From The Earth of the Moon and When we left Earth again.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
I feel your pain. I made two early morning trips to KSC only for it to be postponed a third time until after I'd flown back.
AnotherDayAnotherDollar
Banned
You can buy tickets for the viewing platform I think, but only once the launch date is confirmed. At the moment only an Atlus 5 is listed.
Wait what? Had no idea they were working on a fairing recovery system. That's great news, the less waste the better. Now they just need to figure out how to recover the second stage.
They don't mind too much. They'll always have the military money (or at least a share of it). It's the Russians who should be worried.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
Haven't SpaceX been cleared for military payloads now?
Yes, but the air force want to keep multiple rockets flying, for redundancy.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
That must still be a concern to ULA who until this point have had a monopoly on large military deployments.
Musk is not fucking around. I better stark packing my bag for Mars.
Where are the gifs or vid links... gimme.
Jezbollah
Member
The next Falcon 9 launch is for the National Reconnaissance Office - so yes
I'd love to hear more about this fairing recovery
Maedre
Banned
Its really incredible what spacex was able to accomplish. If they move their way along as they did until know, I think musks mars vision will be within their reach. Just incredible.
A Fish Aficionado
I am going to make it through this year if it kills me
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
And I've got no reason to believe Musk won't do it
just not in the dates he suggests ;-)
CyclopsRock
Member
They get the best part of a billion dollars a year just to keep their factories tooled for Delta and Atlas rockets to ensure the military have access to them. F9 does military launches too but the Delta IV Heavy is the largest rocket re: payload capacity in operation, so they fill a gap that right now the F9 can't replace. That said, the Falcon Heavy will actually have a higher payload capacity in terms of weight (though it's more limited re: faring size, I believe).
SpaceX have said they will build a larger fairing for FH if a customer needs it.
CyclopsRock
Member
Yup and I think maybe they even have done before? I can't remember. However the diameter of the main stick on the FH is quite a bit thinner than the D4H. I dunno if that limits, aerodynamically, what sort of Faring's they're able to put on. I know in Kerbal I can just shove any mad fucker on there, but I'm not sure if the relatively thin shape of the FH would make it good for smallish but heavy payloads rather than physically larger ones (or, more likely, multiple sats of a single constellation in a single launch.)
Thanks. Meant vids of Falcon 9 landing but i appreciate the link. My daughter can take my waiting list place if it doesn't pan out with the dates for Mars
I wonder how they plan to achieve this.
By slowly refining the design to require as little maintenance as possible. That is why they spent four months to turn this one around. You launch it, take it apart, see what broke, make it better, and roll the changes into the next round.
Everything they learned refurbishing this one has gone into the design of the final-for-real-final-now "block 5" version of the rocket. (seriously Spacex can you please use a consistent naming scheme?)
Also engine thrust is going up another 16% which is just insane. The original Merlin 1A on the Falcon 1 made 340kN thrust. The 1D currently flying puts out 723kN and the final version will do 845kN (all measured at sea level).
Also engine thrust is going up another 16% which is just insane. The original Merlin 1A on the Falcon 1 made 340kN thrust. The 1D currently flying puts out 723kN and the final version will do 845kN (all measured at sea level).
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
Oh man, I love your avatar. I had an awful lot of space Lego with that on!
JonnyDBrit
Member
I imagine re-flight within 24 hours would be more a test of capacity than actual intended use, at least in the short term.
It would be huge though, and would also substantially widen the margin of error allowed in the field. For example with supplying humans in orbit: You wouldn't have to necessarily get the launch right the first time, or risk someone starving for the next month, if you can just get the rocket back up there the next day to try again. And even if not the exact same rocket, if it's possible in general to prep a SpaceX craft within twenty four hours - potentially even less - that widens the safety net as potential incidents can have a response within the same day.
It would be huge though, and would also substantially widen the margin of error allowed in the field. For example with supplying humans in orbit: You wouldn't have to necessarily get the launch right the first time, or risk someone starving for the next month, if you can just get the rocket back up there the next day to try again. And even if not the exact same rocket, if it's possible in general to prep a SpaceX craft within twenty four hours - potentially even less - that widens the safety net as potential incidents can have a response within the same day.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
Presumably the reason for failure would mean that there wouldn't be a rocket stage to actually land and refuel...
JonnyDBrit
Member
I was thinking more along the lines of miscalculation of where the station could be vs where it actually is, some kind of system failure being registered while in flight, so on. Missing the mark much more than 'explodes'. The reason they quadruple check (probably more actually) everything in space exploration is that it is really costly to have to to perform do-overs, especially on short notice.
PdotMichael
Banned
Human factor is the deciding factor for cost and rate of starts.
The resuable part of the SpaceX concept is less about reducing cost but that the rocket booster producing capacities are limited, so reusing them helps to increase the theoretical launch capacities for the incoming NASA missions. All the other agencies and companies were thinking about that concept at some point and it went nowhere because there wasn't a market to justify it and there are also some technical drawbacks.
PdotMichael
Banned
More for the global internet satellite constellation they're working on. That's where the serious money will come from to fund their mars rocket.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_satellite_constellation
CyclopsRock
Member
This is the main reason they're keen to retrieve the faring - it doesn't cost that must to make, but it takes ages due to the moulding process and thus is a bottle neck.
Blah blah blah blah. He already has the cheapest rocket on the block. It's gonna get even cheaper. I dunno what he needs to do in order to impress you. This is clearly the first step towards how *all* rockets will be in the future. One day we will look back on expendable cores like barbarism, and it all started today.
PdotMichael
Banned
This is not the way a concept for *all" rocks. We are moving liquid propulsion modules like for the Ariane 6 which will reduce the costs for a single rocket to one million. There isn't much money to save with resuable rockets if it also means increased human labour costs for all the safety checks after landing.
The only true reason to follow that resuable rocket concept is if your production capacities can't meet demand, which isn't the case for any space company or agency.
People need to put things in context instead of doing that fanboy thing.
What's the estimated launch price you've seen? The ones listed on wikipedia are all higher than current Falcon 9's for all the variations. And that's before Falcon 9's re-usability discount.
Sorry what? 1m per rocket?
PdotMichael
Banned
What do you think what a booster is?
If I'm able to understand you. You're talking about the SRBs for Ariane 62 and 64?
CyclopsRock
Member
If they can get it down to a million per rocket then of course, but have they? I don't think you can compare savings that actual payload providers can get right now with some theoretical saving that may occur in the future and say that, therefore, the current savings aren't worth pursuing.
Besides, it's not accurate to say that no space companies are constrained when it comes to production. Right now the majority of rocket producers are enormous aerospace companies or little start ups without much production need, but there will be more and more companies like SpaceX (and Blue Origin will likely get there too) who are moving from one to the other and have to care about not over extending themselves re: infrastructure to build Vs actual revenue from launches. You can always build more factories but it's not always financially viable to.
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