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Red Dragon confirmed!!

MajorLeaugeRocketScience
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MajorLeaugeRocketScience

MajorLeaugeRocketScience

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2 hours ago SpaceX announced on their Twitter page that they are launching the first Red Dragon to Mars (to land) by 2018. According to Elon Musk's previous tweets, they expect Europa landings to follow, and other extra planetary landings in general. Falcon Heavy is also the confired lifter. More information will follow during the Mexico space conference this September.

 

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Spaceception

Spaceception

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6 minutes ago, MajorLeaugeRocketScience said:

2 hours ago SpaceX announced on their Twitter page that they are launching the first Red Dragon to Mars (to land) by 2018. According to Elon Musk's previous tweets, they expect Europa landings to follow, and other extra planetary landings in general. Falcon Heavy is also the confired lifter. More information will follow during the Mexico space conference this September.

 

 

Already covered :)

 

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Kryten

Kryten

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2 minutes ago, Frybert said:

@Spaceception Lets leave the Recovery and Reusability thread for recovering and reusing. :)

Nobody has for most of the history of that thread, though. It'd be easier to just rename it to 'SpaceX general thread' or somesuch.

Edited by Kryten
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KerBlammo

KerBlammo

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Not picking on the OP, I'm seeing this in just about every article about this:  SpaceX said they intend to land on Mars "as soon as" 2018 not "by" 2018 (which implies 2018 or sooner).  The next transfer window is in 2018.  If they miss that they will have to wait 26 months for the next window. So its NET 2018.

 

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Streetwind

Streetwind

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Sweet stuff. I wonder what it will carry.

I mean, test vehicle or not, I'm sure there'll be plenty of scientists who'll go "I don't care if this has only a <insert made-up low number> percent chance of working on the first try, I want my instrument on there!" :P

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Spaceception

Spaceception

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15 minutes ago, MajorLeaugeRocketScience said:

 as well as a manned Dragon 1/Dragon 2 complex doing a flyby.

Highly unlikely, for one, there aren't any people trained for something like that, and I'm pretty sure SpaceX isn't going to do manned flybys, when they're ready to put humans on Mars, they'll likely go for landings right off the bat.

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MajorLeaugeRocketScience

MajorLeaugeRocketScience

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I know, but looking at how fast they do crazy stuff, I'm just saying it's possible. If they did it, they would just bring a ESA guy, a JAXA guy, a Russian guy, and a NASA guy all on on the mission for free, knowing Elon :D

 

Speaking of cost, I think the expected cost is around $200 million ($135 for FH, $30 million for the V2 lander varient, and the rest for FAA and FAI licensing stuff, as well as development and ground costs) Is that coming out of Elon's pocket?

Edited by MajorLeaugeRocketScience
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fredinno

fredinno

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Damn, I just posted a analysis of costs of this mission, but the forum ATE IT ALLL :(
 

Either way, https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/04/spacex-debut-red-dragon-2018-mars-mission/

Quote

On Wednesday, SpaceX’s announcement pointed to the completion of the main phase of an agreement with NASA, likely via a Space Act Agreement (SAA), to work together on a mission to Mars.

However, NASA cannot fund any major scientific experiments. Red Dragon's 3-4T payload on Mars implies a 5 Billion> cost scientific payload.

Red Dragon itself, will cost far less (approx $300 Million total for Dragon, Falcon Heavy) Plus maybe $50 Million for development and hardening, for example, against the dust, or stronger and bigger supersonic chutes.

 

But in any case, Red Dragon lacks solar panels (and RTGs cost a fortune). Without a long development cycle to add a SM with Solar panels, or attaching solar cells to the sides of the Dragon (which would change its aerodynamic properties and add complexity), it's limited to maybe a few days of battery power (or possibly a few weeks of fuel cell power).

 

It's going to be little more than a publicity stunt.

NASA might fund basic instruments to launch on it, but it's going to be a at least $350 Million Mars stunt flight, right out of Elon's own pockets.

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fredinno

fredinno

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8 minutes ago, MajorLeaugeRocketScience said:

I know, but looking at how fast they do crazy stuff, I'm just saying it's possible. If they did it, they would just bring a ESA guy, a JAXA guy, a Russian guy, and a NASA guy all on on the mission for free, knowing Elon :D

And kill them after they can't return to Earth and have only a few days of battery power? Great plan.

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Kryten

Kryten

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30 minutes ago, MajorLeaugeRocketScience said:

Hopefully, the first test Red Dragon will fly during the 2018 window, and possibly a scientific lander as well as a manned Dragon 1/Dragon 2 complex doing a flyby.

That'd require an actual miracle in life-support technology. Humans aren't kerbals.

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