Comments on: Russia to sell China rocket engines? https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/russia-to-sell-china-rocket-engines/ Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:44:08 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Robert Zimmerman https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/russia-to-sell-china-rocket-engines/#comment-809321 Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:44:08 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=36312#comment-809321 In reply to Cotour.

SpaceX makes SpaceX’s engines.

]]> By: Cotour https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/russia-to-sell-china-rocket-engines/#comment-809318 Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:40:28 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=36312#comment-809318 In reply to Robert Zimmerman.

Thank you, and you anticipated my next question: Who makes Space X’s engines? I have to believe that Musk’s investment in the design and production capability will ensure his dominance into the foreseeable future.

I think I saw the 3D printed engines for their capsule here, a beautiful piece of engineering and production. I think they use 3D laser scintering to build all of the parts for the engines.

http://3dprint.com/4740/spacex-dragon-2-3d-print/

Unlimited future potential related to shapes, simplicity in design and level of part complexity.

https://youtu.be/yKnlmfuMSgo

https://youtu.be/cRE-PzI6uZA

]]> By: Robert Zimmerman https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/russia-to-sell-china-rocket-engines/#comment-809304 Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:02:07 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=36312#comment-809304 In reply to Cotour.

The reason ULA has been buying Russian engines is probably two-fold: One, they do cost less. Two, ULA has been lazy and not pressured to compete with anyone or innovate for decades. To save money they took the easy route, buying Russian engines, rather than find a way to make them cheaper themselves.

Russian rocket engines are good, but they don’t really have any specific advantage over anyone else. For example, SpaceX’s Merlin engine is probably superior, but SpaceX is not selling that engine to other companies.

]]> By: Cotour https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/russia-to-sell-china-rocket-engines/#comment-809295 Tue, 13 Oct 2015 16:20:46 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=36312#comment-809295 I find it entirely ridiculous that the United States Of America needs to purchase rocket engines from Russia, or anyone else for that matter. And I have great respect for the Russians and their technology, that’s not my point.

What do I not understand about this? Is it purely related to cost of production per unit, or is their rocket engine technology that much more superior and or reliable than ours?

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