Several companies in the field of space exploration, including SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, have been working on the concept of reusable launch vehicles so as to achieve the dream of landing a rocket after successful missions.
Apart from being a scientific breakthrough, such reusable vehicles are going to save huge money for these companies, which can be used for further research.
As part of this initiative, Elon Musk’s SpaceX last week organized another successful launch of its Falcon 9 rocket. Though the launch was as the company had desired, the landing was not quite as successful as the one in December (it crashed into the ocean).
As part of this initiative, Elon Musk’s SpaceX last week organized another successful launch of its Falcon 9 rocket. Though the launch was as the company had desired, the landing was not quite as successful as the one in December (it crashed into the ocean).
Reusability, as such, has always been SpaceX’s goal to provide the cheapest access to space missions. By using SpaceX rockets for space launch, companies are likely to save around 30% in cost, meaning a single launch would cost around $40 million.
There is cut-throat competition in the field and here are some offers from SpaceX’s rival companies: US firm ULA charges a minimum of $164 million per launch, and European Arianespace charges $167 million per launch. But pressure following the $40 million proposed deal from SpaceX may further cut the cost of its next generation rocket to $90 million.
All the recent advances in space exploration technology have been combining older proven technologies with modern computing capabilities, materials and fabrication processes.
SpaceX’s operations chief Gwynne Shotwell said, “You pull off the cover and that wire harness is pristine. The metal is still shiny. You pull off the thermal protection system that we have near the engine, and that engine is beautiful. It is perfectly clean”.
Shotwell highlighted SpaceX’s price reduction at a satellite industry conference yesterday. After landing the first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket in December, SpaceX expects to prepare it for flight and re-fuel it for just $4 million, slashing about $18 million from the rocket’s cost.
According to a report in ThereGister by Iain Thomson, "Speaking to the Satellite 2016 conference, Shotwell said that the Falcon Heavy, which consists of a Falcon 9 rocket with two full first-stage boosters strapped to its sides, will lift off from NASA's historic Launch Complex 39A at Cape Canaveral, which also launched Apollo 11 and the first and last Space Shuttle missions."
SES CEO Karim Michel has said his firm wants to be the first to use a pre-used Falcon 9 rocket that has landed after a delivery mission, but that SES expects a 50 per cent discount on the launch price for doing so.
"SpaceX isn’t alone in trying to develop reusable launch vehicles. Other private companies such as Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are also in the race to achieve the dream of consistently landing a rocket after hurtling it into the heavens. Each success – and failure – gets us a little closer," according to a news report published by EconoTimes.
But how significant is the creation of reusable rockets? And where will we go from here? Are we finally close to the future once promised by the Jetson’s FX-Atmos “flying car” or Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon: a world of personal, space-bound transports that can leave your garage, reach orbit and beyond, and return home in time for dinner?
In a report published by the ExaminerGazett, "SpaceX has already successfully landed the rocket on the ground, but the variables of the sea landing, including the precise location of the barge and the rate of descent, make the task much more hard."
The first launch attempt on Wednesday was postponed to ensure liquid oxygen temperatures are as cold as possible in an effort to maximise performance.
By: Betty Laseter.
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