tater Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 (edited) 6 minutes ago, DerekL1963 said: Indeed. While it quotes costs per pound... it fails to compare capabilities. Raw cost-to-orbit isn't everything. Is there any data you have seen on what the average launch to LEO actually masses (payload wise)? 22.8 MT to LEO doesn't matter if the typical payload is only 6MT. Geo sats tend to run 4-6 MT as I recall, so that might be a fairer way to compare launch prices. Even with that, the type of transfer would matter, because one LV might put the craft in service faster than another. Edited April 5, 2017 by tater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryten Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 If you take out crewed spaceflight and associated support stuff, my gut feeling is it won't average more than a couple tons. I'll have a look through last year's launches and tot something up when I've got time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevenperforce Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 23 minutes ago, tater said: Is there any data you have seen on what the average launch to LEO actually masses (payload wise)? 22.8 MT to LEO doesn't matter if the typical payload is only 6MT. Geo sats tend to run 4-6 MT as I recall, so that might be a fairer way to compare launch prices. Even with that, the type of transfer would matter, because one LV might put the craft in service faster than another. Not to mention that slipping launch dates are equally punishing. If a GTO comsat company is losing a few thousand bucks a day for every minute their bird isn't in GTO, then they'll be likely to pay a premium for a launch date that they can be confident about, even if total cost and circularization time are higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Yeah, say the typical LEO payload is ~4 tons, even, then the SX figures are all off by a factor of ~5, and the only one close to a real price is in fact the Indian launcher . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 You can hear the sales pitch by a BO guy, though the video is sort of annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StahnAileron Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Some hindsight, it seems: https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/04/this-six-year-old-video-from-spacex-is-both-prescient-and-pure-troll/ I love Ars Technica Looking forward to FH launch and second stage recovery. Anyone got info on the payload fairing recovery? I haven't seen much regarding that in reference to the latest launch. I know some talk of an attempt, but nothing about it being actually being tried. BTW, anyone considering doing a version of the Falcon 9 parts from the video? I like the second stage engine and legs. Reminds me of something I'd see from BahamutoD or Nertea. (That engine is a BDAnimations poster child.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Apparently Bezos was out in front of the capsule today talking/answering questions. He said that he expected dev costs of rNG to be ~2.4 B$. His current business plan is that he sells a billion in Amazon stock each year to invest in BO. Hoping to have NS flights with people in 2018. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikegarrison Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 31 minutes ago, tater said: He said that he expected dev costs of rNG to be ~2.4 B$. His current business plan is that he sells a billion in Amazon stock each year to invest in BO. Hoping to have NS flights with people in 2018. That seems unsustainable in the long run. At that rate, he'll only be able to personally fund Blue Origin for another 72 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultimate Steve Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 43 minutes ago, StahnAileron said: Anyone got info on the payload fairing recovery? I heard that they got at least one half of the fairing down in the ocean, no idea if they brought it onto the boat (though they probably did). Each fairing has a parasail type thing and cold gas thrusters for maneuvering. In the future SpaceX will have a giant "bouncy house" on the water which the fairings will steer towards and (hopefully) land on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatastrophicFailure Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 30 minutes ago, mikegarrison said: That seems unsustainable in the long run. At that rate, he'll only be able to personally fund Blue Origin for another 72 years. Sigh. That's gotta be a pretty surreal string of words for anyone to put together. "Mr. Accountant? Yes, I'd like to sell a billion dollars in stock to finance my own private space program. Again." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 (edited) They got the fairing. One half pretty good, the other half not so much. Sadly for SES, I think the good half doesn't have the logo. There are images of it under a tarp back at Port Canaveral. Edited April 5, 2017 by tater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 In the press conference I posted above, he said that his goal is humans in space (lots of them), and that it would take good people, patience, and money, and he has all three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 On 11/23/2014 at 1:40 PM, StrandedonEarth said: I can't wait. It'll be something historical if he pulls it off. The procedure once it's down would be interesting. It's so funny reading stuff like this when you are living in the future and we've already seen this stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrandedonEarth Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 2 minutes ago, Leftykap said: It's so funny reading stuff like this when you are living in the future and we've already seen this stuff Yup. ~28 months later and landing a rocket is starting to look routine already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikegarrison Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 Just today someone in my group announced she was leaving our company to go work for Blue Origin. This is the second time it has happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frybert Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 29 minutes ago, StrandedonEarth said: Yup. ~28 months later and landing a rocket is starting to look routine already. Famous last words of spaceflight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrandedonEarth Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 44 minutes ago, Frybert said: Famous last words of spaceflight. Yup, that's so true. I really did mean to emphasize starting to look because I'm sure it's still anything but. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEpicSquared Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 (edited) 7 hours ago, StahnAileron said: Some hindsight, it seems: https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/04/this-six-year-old-video-from-spacex-is-both-prescient-and-pure-troll/ Congress: Pfft, private spaceflight will never succeed... SpaceX: Hold my beer. Edited April 6, 2017 by TheEpicSquared Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSK Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 (edited) 13 hours ago, CatastrophicFailure said: Perhaps it's been deemed too dangerous, so they've genetically engineered a race of short, photosynthetic humanoids who literally work for peanuts (and other snacks) while also reaping the benefits of lower mass to the surface? Man - somebody should turn that into a computer game. I'd play the heck out of something like that. Edit. But the real question is - could you fit a Blue Meanie into a Blue Moonie? Edited April 6, 2017 by KSK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerbiloid Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 6 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said: ~28 months later and landing a rocket is starting to look routine already. Space Shuttles will fly every two weeks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwind Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 http://spacenews.com/bruno-vulcan-engine-downselect-is-blues-to-lose/ Apparently ULA is ready to officially say "yes, we'll take it" to the BE-4 engine in as little as two to three months from now. The only program point outstanding are live firing demonstrations. The only competitor is almost two years behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevenperforce Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 6 hours ago, kerbiloid said: Quote ~28 months later and landing a rocket is starting to look routine already. Space Shuttles will fly every two weeks... Except that landing a rocket actually is starting to look routine. Not as a future possibility, but now. SpaceX's launch cadence is still crappy, but the landings at least are on point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 Shuttle landed 99% of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEpicSquared Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 6 minutes ago, sevenperforce said: ...the landings at least are on point. Is that an unintentional pun...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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