Author Topic: SpaceX doing well?  (Read 2675 times)

  • Offline Serious

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SpaceX doing well?
on: April 12, 2021, 23:10:04 PM
Every Falcon 9 launched in the last year has got it's cargo into orbit and apart from one early this year they have managed to put the first stage safely onto the landing barge.

The only one this year to fail landing the first stage had the centre engine fail during ascent and still got it's cargo into orbit.

Starship so far has not gone quite as well, 8 and 9 crashed on landing, 10 blew up after landing heavily. and 11 exploded in fog. 12,13 and 14 cancelled so what's the chance of 15 managing a good landing with new, improved, engines?

  • Offline neXus

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Re: SpaceX doing well?
Reply #1 on: April 13, 2021, 03:08:28 AM
Every Falcon 9 launched in the last year has got it's cargo into orbit and apart from one early this year they have managed to put the first stage safely onto the landing barge.

The only one this year to fail landing the first stage had the centre engine fail during ascent and still got it's cargo into orbit.

Starship so far has not gone quite as well, 8 and 9 crashed on landing, 10 blew up after landing heavily. and 11 exploded in fog. 12,13 and 14 cancelled so what's the chance of 15 managing a good landing with new, improved, engines?
Starship has actually for the most part exceeded their expectations actually.
There were A LOT of tests of the rockets, rocket landings for Falcon that people seem to forget. They spent a while getting them to land on the ground and then lots of crashes trying to get the remote platforms sorted.
Starship using similar technology but at a far greater scope. They moved to the different thickness aluminium ahead of schedule and for the most part the team is happy with the progress. The last test in complete fog and a crash has been the only one the team has really felt let down by but due to the processes and setup they are able to build and rebuild very quickly which is something they have also been very happy with too.


Overall doing very well and the satellites they are putting into orbit for starlink will do very well too. Soon they will be getting more and more companies paying for them to put stuff into space for them.

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  • Offline Clock'd 0Ne

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Re: SpaceX doing well?
Reply #2 on: April 13, 2021, 09:10:22 AM

How far we have come. I mean, that almost looks like CGI. We're hopefully entering a new golden era for space exploration and I think expectations have been well and truly crushed, generally. This is about the best humanity can strive for right now, as it's all going pretty wrong on the surface.

I'm no Musk fanboy, but I'm certainly gaining a new level of respect for what he's achieving with SpaceX and Tesla.
Last Edit: April 13, 2021, 09:12:50 AM by Clock'd 0Ne #187;

  • Offline Serious

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Re: SpaceX doing well?
Reply #3 on: April 13, 2021, 18:17:55 PM
How far we have come. I mean, that almost looks like CGI. We're hopefully entering a new golden era for space exploration and I think expectations have been well and truly crushed, generally. This is about the best humanity can strive for right now, as it's all going pretty wrong on the surface.

I'm no Musk fanboy, but I'm certainly gaining a new level of respect for what he's achieving with SpaceX and Tesla.

The issue seems to be the flip maneuver, which may be a bit too difficult. Might be better to do it earlier and give the fuel/oxidiser a little longer to settle down.

And yes, if you were to take it as part of a sci-fi film or series you might consider it near impossible. CGI would be easy enough to do.

My issue with Musk isn't that he's doing all this but is he trying too hard, too fast? We have no idea of what effects low gravity will have on humans long term, or their offspring.

  • Offline neXus

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Re: SpaceX doing well?
Reply #4 on: April 14, 2021, 03:18:44 AM
How far we have come. I mean, that almost looks like CGI. We're hopefully entering a new golden era for space exploration and I think expectations have been well and truly crushed, generally. This is about the best humanity can strive for right now, as it's all going pretty wrong on the surface.

I'm no Musk fanboy, but I'm certainly gaining a new level of respect for what he's achieving with SpaceX and Tesla.

The issue seems to be the flip maneuver, which may be a bit too difficult. Might be better to do it earlier and give the fuel/oxidiser a little longer to settle down.

And yes, if you were to take it as part of a sci-fi film or series you might consider it near impossible. CGI would be easy enough to do.

My issue with Musk isn't that he's doing all this but is he trying too hard, too fast? We have no idea of what effects low gravity will have on humans long term, or their offspring.


The flip maneuver is actually a success and that part has worked every time with the ailerons working perfectly. It is the engine combination and control setup because of the mass and roles of each engine getting to play nice which is the fundamental issue.


Musk is taking risks but making money. He is a bit odd but he is doing a lot of right things because he is making the tech and pushing it and trying to show value as soon as possible for investors initially. Keeping them confident of the pay of despite possible negative media coverage and hick ups and keep going forward as with Tesla.


While companies are doing their own battery tech, trying new tech Tesla is intending to lead the way, pushing prices down with gigafactories and eventually having other companies by batteries off them as well as making the cars.
Something that may or may not pan out with the charging stations having other companies pay to use those etc.


Getting in there first tends to pay off in most things if it is solid.


Mar's is a bit marketing thing and that may or may not happen but companies establishing stuff on the moon for mining or other operations is realistic (maybe not our lifetime) and being the company with the experience and reliability will be a big thing.

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  • Offline Clock'd 0Ne

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Re: SpaceX doing well?
Reply #5 on: April 14, 2021, 07:18:48 AM
I think our rate of progress is now starting to show that we could see a colony on Mars within our lifetime, albeit maybe a very small focused one. I think the real biggie is going to be not having to launch from Earth as it prohibits what we can achieve, once we can launch from space/low gravity it will open up so many possibilities. I'm hopeful my kids will see some incredible things happen in their lifetime.

  • Offline neXus

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Re: SpaceX doing well?
Reply #6 on: April 14, 2021, 08:29:31 AM
I think our rate of progress is now starting to show that we could see a colony on Mars within our lifetime, albeit maybe a very small focused one. I think the real biggie is going to be not having to launch from Earth as it prohibits what we can achieve, once we can launch from space/low gravity it will open up so many possibilities. I'm hopeful my kids will see some incredible things happen in their lifetime.


That is the thing, I think it is more realistic that..


1. In our lifetime a small "we made it" team to mars MAY happen.
There is a show on Netflix called Away (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8787802/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_2) Which is more a drama than Sci-Fi but a world further ahead of us in tech and getting to Mars for them is a nightmare and they have some made up tech to help with food, water etc which does not exist yet.


2. It is more realistic to set further space exploration where you, as you point out mate less hurdles so things like gravity. So setting up properly on the moon, building launch platforms on the moon and establishing there will be far better for further space exploration missions as well as everything else. This being at least under way with people staying there long term is more realistic.

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