Comments on: Falcon Heavy successfully launches Psyche asteroid mission

By: Edward

Edward — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 23:05:06 +0000

I, too, believe that Falcon and Crew Dragon may last well into the next decade. The commercial space stations that are now being developed may not be expecting to handle the large Starship. It would be a large mass to slam into the space station during docking, and it would be a huge mass and mass moment of inertia to control during the time it is docked. Dragon may be better for the early space stations, especially if their crew sizes are in the single digits.

For similar reasons, I expect the manned Dream Chaser to last for at least a decade before becoming obsolete.

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 03:13:28 +0000

Robert: Thank you. Happiness is.

By: Robert Zimmerman

Robert Zimmerman — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 01:34:33 +0000

In reply to Michael. Michael: The live stream ended just after the solar panels deployed successfully. At least, that's what I understood.

By: Ray Van Dune

Ray Van Dune — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 00:49:05 +0000

I think my point was that F9/FH would probably NOT go away as quickly as SpaceX might assume. Perhaps my wording was unclear?

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 00:47:08 +0000

I was searching for status of the Psyche vehicle but my searches keep coming up empty. Does anyone have updates? I’m specifically interested in the solar panel deployment. I’m not sure when they are scheduled for deployment but will be a whole lot happier when the are out and licked. Thanks

By: Richard M

Richard M — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 00:39:54 +0000

The Falcon 9 system will last as long as there are customers from anyplace in the world.

And Elon has been very, very clear on that point.

Government contracts alone are going to keep Falcon 9 running into the 2030’s. For starters, NASA has contracts with SpaceX to put its astronauts up to and from ISS through 2030 on Crew Dragon, and they are not going to want to shift that need over to Starship without LOTS and LOTS of flight operations to prove it could be human-rated.

In perfect world, Elon and his managers would like to be just operating Starship variants. But they are victims of their own success. Operating Falcon 9 and Starship for many years is the price they will have to pay for that success. It’s not the worst possible outcome!

By: pzatchok

pzatchok — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 23:07:21 +0000

The Falcon 9 system will last as long as there are customers from anyplace in the world.

Its like space equivalent of the VW Bug.

By: sippin_bourbon

sippin_bourbon — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 22:34:54 +0000

Ray Van Dune

Is that opinion based on the idea that once Starship launches, they will drop everything else?

By: Ray Van Dune

Ray Van Dune — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 21:47:44 +0000

I know that the TEL must be of a different design (or at least a different modifiable configuration) between F9 and FH, but is there a difference in the configuration of the other pad infrastructure, for example the dimensions of the flame trench or the rainbirds? My hunch is that there is, but that SpaceX is hesitant to make such mods because they feel that the F9/FH generation will not be with us very much longer. I hope they are right, but I fear they may not be!

By: Richard M

Richard M — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 21:27:17 +0000

“They need to build another TEL just dedicated for Falcon Heavy to free up the pad time.”

Well, they recently got the lease on one at Vandenberg, at any rate (Space Launch Complex 6). That will give them two pads on each coast.

By: geoffc

geoffc — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 20:25:11 +0000

And that pad queen is finally gone, so other launches can happen at LC-39A. While SLC-40 was launching every 4-5 days, (Probably limited more by ASDS turn around time than pad time now) LC-39A was launching maybe 2 a month at most.

They need to build another TEL just dedicated for Falcon Heavy to free up the pad time.

By: Richard M

Richard M — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 16:21:24 +0000

How thankful NASA should be that Elon Musk decided to develop a super heavy launch vehicle entirely on his own hook, and that Gwynne Shotwell talked him out of cancelling it.

How would NASA even have launched this mission if SpaceX were not around?

By: Ray Van Dune

Ray Van Dune — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 15:40:22 +0000

Lots of well-deserved back-slaps for NASA and JPL, but I just want to add…

FALCON HEAVY, FOR THE WIN!!

And the same two side cores will reprise their performance for Europa Clipper next year.