SpaceX Updates  (Thread 9)

By DocM
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anthdci

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11 hours ago, DocM said:
 

seems quite lightweight, around 320kg according to the wiki page on it. No ride sharing to reduce the cost or is size an issue?

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Beittil

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No, it is the orbit I believe. This payload needs a 0 degree inclination, so SpaceX will have to launch towards the equator and then perform a correction to get to that 0 degrees. That will consume a lot of fuel. 

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Grand Master

DocM

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Wow.... 😵 😙

 

https://www.spacex.com/smallsat

 


SMALLSAT RIDESHARE PROGRAM

DEDICATED AFFORDABLE RIDESHARE TO SUN SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT

DEDICATED ESPA CLASS MISSIONS AS LOW AS $2.25M

SpaceX's SmallSat Rideshare Program will provide small satellite operators with regularly scheduled, dedicated Falcon 9 rideshare missions to SSO for ESPA class payloads for as low as $2.25M per mission, which includes up to 150 kg of payload mass.

Unlike traditional rideshare opportunities, these missions will not be dependent on a primary. These missions will be pre-scheduled and will not be held up by delays with co-passengers.

For payloads who run into development or production challenges leading up to launch, SpaceX will allow them to apply 100% of monies paid towards the cost of rebooking on a subsequent mission (rebooking fees may apply).

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Unobscured Vision

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I think what it is is that there are so many Flight Proven boosters that SpaceX needs to put them to use somehow while still making it worthwhile to use them.

 

Falcon Heavy, while effing awesome, is a limited-use case. We all know this. There's also the matter of building/re-purposing Center cores, which is a big effort + cost + time.

 

This is the logical move, and while yes it puts a ton of pressure on the small payload launchers I think it'll force them to continue to innovate ... ;) Think of it this way -- RocketLab's Electron getting the capability to push 1,000 kg uphill would be quite a feat. :yes: That kind of innovation, pushing the limits of efficiency, is what's needed right now. And who knows? Maybe they'll introduce reuse?

 

Companies under the gun tend to find ways to do new things in unique ways. :) 

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DocM

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F9/FH are to get Class 3 RUAG fairings, allowing them to fly the largest USAF/NSA satellites.

 

Instead of an 11 meter long internal cavity it would be about 16.5 meters. 

 

Tim Chen is ex-NASA, and currently  the CEO of NerdWallet
 

 

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DocM

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Yeah, Tory Bruno went on r/SpaceX and waved the 'its our IP' flag.

 

If RUAG were to supply one it'd have to be from a new FL facility. This is unlikely with only 1-2 Class C DoD payloads over the next 7-8 years and Starship in the pipeline.

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Unobscured Vision

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Yeah. I was thinking along those lines too. While insanely awesome as a potential F9/FH option, I found myself wondering "why didn't they go for it sooner?" ...

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Grand Master

DocM

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SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell at Barron's investor conference.

 

Key item not in CNBC's story but in the tweets: SpaceX has 1,500 StarLink satellites ready to launch.

 

 

CNBC's Michael Sheetz tweetstorm

 

https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1187741337455648768

 

CNBC story

 

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2019/10/25/spacex-shotwell-calls-out-blue-origin-boeing-lockheed-martin-oneweb.html

 

Quote


SpaceX president knocks Bezos' Blue Origin: 'They have a billion dollars of free money every year'
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DocM

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ASDS Just Read the Instructions has spent the summer near NOLA getting upgrades, including  new beastly automatic positioning thrusters. 

 

Now SpaceX can catch both Falcon Heavy boosters downrange, expending the center core for high-deltaV launches.

 

Or,

They can do rapid sequence Starlink etc. launches with downrange recovery.

 

 

 

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Grand Master

DocM

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Now we know where those thrusters came from: Finland.

 

2040606507_Droneshipthruster-720.thumb.jpg.3e1940c2c40bf4cacd10ab577dd12882.jpg

 

https://metropolitan.fi/entry/wartsila-spacex-tesla-collaboration

 

(Google Translate)

 


Wärtsilä plays key part in each SpaceX launch, collaboration talks with Tesla

Finnish maritime an energy technology company has expanded to space technology. The news come from an interview with Lännen Media and Wärtsilä CEO Jaakko Eskola. In addition there are talks with car and battery company Tesla for using their technology in hybrid engines.

Wärtsilä has collaborated with the SpaceX company for a long time. The space travel company ran by billionaire Elon Musk has done collaboration on the reuse of the parts of the rockets used to send satellites and other gear to space.
 
Propulsion and automation gear from Wärtsilä is used on platforms where the rockets land after delivering the payload. This reuse is the key to lowering cost of space travel. The fully automated elements return back to the atmosphere only minutes after the original launch.

Wärtsilä employees and technology ensure that the floating platforms are placed at precisely at the right location during launches. Operator are monitoring and controlling the platform remotely, in using a method known as Dynamic Positioning.

The Wärtsilä-SpaceX collaboration is attributed to the Wärtsilä sales representatives in San Diego who closed the deal with American company.

Savings of each successful launch is measured in millions of Euros as the rocket parts are incredibly expensive.

According to a Tweet from Elon Musk every launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket costs a maximum of 150 Million Dollars (over 120 Million Euros). In a recent launch the billionaires Tesla Roadster car was sent to the milkyway.

Wärtsilä a global leader in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Hybrid Engines for Ships and Powerplants
In addition to bringing maritime technology to the table, Wärtsilä is also a significant supplier of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) systems and infrastructure. LNG has become the fuel of choice for commercial space companies, because of it's good availability. Eskola says the company has bet in LNG for a long time, but it was a surprise to the company that the fuel was useful for space travel.
 
Wärtsilä is also in discussions on collaboration with Tesla, another where Elon Musk is in key roles as the primary owner and CEO. Wärtsilä is a large manufacturer of combustion engines running on a variety of fuels such as natural gas and heavy oil.

The company would like to strike a deal with Tesla where the company could buy batteries to power it's hybrid ship and power plant engines. In return Wärtsilä could improve Tesla powerplants with it's unique industrial grade hybrid system.

A third link between the two companies is the Gigafactory battery manufacturing facility that Tesla is looking to build in Europe. The city of Vaasa is currently trying to attract the Gigafactory to the city located on the Western coast of Finland. Vaasa is also the location where Wärtsilä engine product development is done.

This would allow the two companies to perform joint product development in close proximity. The cooperation is not straightforward as Wärtsilä is also competing the Tesla in the energy production sector. Currently Wärtsilä can purchase it's batteries and solar panel parts from any supplier. A binding agreement with Tesla could reduce the leeway of supplier selection once battery demand rises and availability becomes an issue in the mid to long term.
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Source: Wärtsilällä on avainrooli Elon Muskin SpaceX:n rakettien laukaisussa  onnistuminen säästää miljoonia euroja

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