Falcon X and XX Lifters

[legoclone09]

I was looking at youtube comments on a video (forget what though), and this person was talking about a Falcon XX with 400 tons to LEO and a Ultra Heavy with 1600 supposedly. I think he might have been exaggerating, but I found a source with designs for them. On the article it says that the Falcon X would have 125 tons to orbit and a Falcon XX with 140 tons to orbit. Discuss below, is this BS, exaggerated, or fact? I'd say exaggerated, 1600 tons to orbit is too much to be believable.

Source: http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/08/spacex-talks-falcon-x-heavy-for-125.html?m=1

Edited January 26, 2016 by legoclone09

[fredinno]

29 minutes ago, legoclone09 said:

I was looking at youtube comments on a video (forget what though), and this person was talking about a Falcon XX with 400 tons to LEO and a Ultra Heavy with 1600 supposedly. I think he might have been exaggerating, but I found a source with designs for them. On the article it says that the Falcon X would have 125 tons to orbit and a Falcon XX with 140 tons to orbit. Discuss below, is this BS, exaggerated, or fact? I'd say exaggerated, 1600 tons to orbit is too much to be believable.

Source: http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/08/spacex-talks-falcon-x-heavy-for-125.html?m=1

They were PowerPoint rockets.  They are not going to be made, and have been succeeded by BFR.

[legoclone09]

Just now, fredinno said:

They were PowerPoint rockets.  They are not going to be made, and have been succeeded by BFR.

Ah ok, I was just wondering about it. But the MCT will be made with the awesome 10 meter core, right? I'd hate to see the Raptors go to waste. Only if they can't open doors 

[Red Fang]

Rumor from L2 leaks implies SpaceX is contemplating even larger diameter core for BFR/MCT - 12m or 15m IIRC.  We'll have to wait and see what they come up with at hte MCT/BFR announcement.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Red Fang

[fredinno]

9 minutes ago, Red Fang said:

Rumor from L2 leaks implies SpaceX is contemplating even larger diameter core for BFR/MCT - 12m or 15m IIRC.  We'll have to wait and see what they come up with at hte MCT/BFR announcement.

If it is made, that is.

[Red Fang]

 

51 minutes ago, fredinno said:

If it is made, that is.

That goes without saying. IMO SpaceX is trying to figure out a way to make the biggest, cheapest, long lasting, reliable, reusable system that can be made with minimal development in short amount of time, while probably leveraging NASA and private sector for mission specific and most of ground hardware. If they get one or two of those things wrong, they won't be going to Mars any time soon, and may go bust as a company. There fore concept of the BFR/MCT must be perfect,  and then again all the steps in actual development, production and use have to be practically without fault for the system to work in a financially reasonable manner. I think they won't announce anything until they are 100% sure that they have nailed down rocket reusebility and I'd expect them to start actually designing the system after that. God knows how are they going to find money and justification for setting up anything more than a couple of semi-permanent research stations on Mars, but I wouldn't be surprised if they start a huge marketing/lobying campaign when they get confident that MCT/BFR can be made. 

[fredinno]

5 minutes ago, Red Fang said:

 

That goes without saying. IMO SpaceX is trying to figure out a way to make the biggest, cheapest, long lasting, reliable, reusable system that can be made with minimal development in short amount of time, while probably leveraging NASA and private sector for mission specific and most of ground hardware. If they get one or two of those things wrong, they won't be going to Mars any time soon, and may go bust as a company. There fore concept of the BFR/MCT must be perfect,  and then again all the steps in actual development, production and use have to be practically without fault for the system to work in a financially reasonable manner. I think they won't announce anything until they are 100% sure that they have nailed down rocket reusebility and I'd expect them to start actually designing the system after that. God knows how are they going to find money and justification for setting up anything more than a couple of semi-permanent research stations on Mars, but I wouldn't be surprised if they start a huge marketing/lobying campaign when they get confident that MCT/BFR can be made. 

I'm not optimistic about Elon's prospects to financing this, plus a Mars Mission (Mars Direct would cost $6 million, bare minimum, and that requires others sharing the cost), and surviving the government (congress might see this as a threat to SLS and try what they can to cancel the BFR. 

 

But we really have no idea what it is like. And any arguments until then are really mostly speculation.

[Red Fang]

That would't surprise me at all.  And I have nothing against speculation.

[ChrisSpace]

3 hours ago, legoclone09 said:

I was looking at youtube comments on a video (forget what though), and this person was talking about a Falcon XX with 400 tons to LEO and a Ultra Heavy with 1600 supposedly. I think he might have been exaggerating, but I found a source with designs for them. On the article it says that the Falcon X would have 125 tons to orbit and a Falcon XX with 140 tons to orbit. Discuss below, is this BS, exaggerated, or fact? I'd say exaggerated, 1600 tons to orbit is too much to be believable.

Source: http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/08/spacex-talks-falcon-x-heavy-for-125.html?m=1

That article is from August 2010. SpaceX has basically changed all its plans and designs since then.

2 hours ago, Red Fang said:

Rumor from L2 leaks implies SpaceX is contemplating even larger diameter core for BFR/MCT - 12m or 15m IIRC.  We'll have to wait and see what they come up with at hte MCT/BFR announcement.

Since the Raptor's thrust was downgraded, they'd need to put more Raptors on the bottom of the rocket, so the bottom has to be wider for them all to fit. This is an extreme oversimplification, by the way.

1 hour ago, fredinno said:

and surviving the government (congress might see this as a threat to SLS and try what they can to cancel the BFR. 

I think competition with the SLS will be the least of SpaceX's government problems.

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by ChrisSpace

[fredinno]

5 minutes ago, ChrisSpace said:

That article is from August 2010. SpaceX has basically changed all its plans and designs since then.

Since the Raptor's thrust was downgraded, they'd need to put more Raptors on the bottom of the rocket, so the bottom has to be wider for them all to fit. This is an extreme oversimplification, by the way.

I think competition with the SLS will be the least of SpaceX's government problems.

 

You're right, they would also have to make a new pad, new structures, etc that would put it head to head with the government.