What's the purpose of the X37?
Manned spaceflight. Or at least, manned spaceflight concept development.
Spy satellites don't need to return to earth.
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What's the purpose of the X37?
OK, I pretty doubtful that's the actual reason since the X37 has no life support systems, but even if that were true, why not use an existing system rather than start a whole new program from scratch? If they aren't doing very secret missions, they're spending a lot on security needlessly.Manned spaceflight. Or at least, manned spaceflight concept development.
Spy satellites don't need to return to earth.
OK, I pretty doubtful that's the actual reason since the X37 has no life support systems
why not use an existing system rather than start a whole new program from scratch?
If they aren't doing very secret missions, they're spending a lot on security needlessly.
Unless, of course, you think that manned spaceflight has to somehow involve wings?
Neither of the X-37B's have launched from Vandenberg. All 4 flights have been aboard an Atlas V launched from CCAFS LC-41. The first three flights landed at Vandenberg AFB, and OTV-4 landed at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility.I believe this has not been noted yet. It should be formalized in the next 3-4 weeks as the launch makes it to the official schedule of either ranges.
X37 has been launched from both east and west coasts. Also, there are 2 units.
Article trumpeting SpaceX's dominance of the space launch industry.
Spacex will have a decades of commercial launch dominance | NextBigFuture.com
Would make the title of this thread a relic.
The article lost me at "3-D printed rockets".
Article trumpeting SpaceX's dominance of the space launch industry.
Spacex will have a decades of commercial launch dominance | NextBigFuture.com
Would make the title of this thread a relic.
I don't believe in the scale or frequency of launches in the article, I'm more interested in the dominance and monopolistic possibilities as it relates to disrupting an industry.I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Estimates of 40-50 annual launches for spacex in 2018 are significantly out of touch with reality, to say nothing of comical numbers like 100-800. There simply aren't that many things to launch, and there won't be that many things to launch for many years. The equation is that basic, to the point where articles like the one quoted basically lose all cred for parroting without a dose of reality.
Like it or not, the industry that makes the things that get hucked into space does not have the agility or vision of Elon Musk. Everyone else has quarterly reports and shareholder expectations to manage; everyone else is holding onto capex/IRAD spending, scratching out what little profit there is in building space stuff while they wait for someone else to jump into the deep end of 2.0. And seeing the headwinds encountered by a 2.0 like OneWeb, some of them same-old same-old headwinds [not to mention the turbulence just under the surface for a number of 2.0s] doesn't improve the chances of a drunken group cannonball into the pool anytime soon.
Elon and his team are smart enough to understand and forecast industry demand for launchers. Even the spacex constellation--which is easily the largest proposed, by like half an order of magnitude--wont increase launcher demand by more than a couple dozen a year once they hit full production rates.
Where they're really going with all this buildup--an this isn't like a revelation or anything, which is why the article is so frustrating--is developing the technology and more importantly the price point to execute the massive logistical exercise know as 'Mars'.
I don't believe in the scale or frequency of launches in the article, I'm more interested in the dominance and monopolistic possibilities as it relates to disrupting an industry.
And now it comes full circle:
SpaceX forces Air Force to revise launch mindset - SpaceNews.com
The Air Force is loving their SpaceX.
How does it go?
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
An op-ed piece from Tony Bruno:
Op-ed | Building on a successful record in space to meet the challenges ahead - SpaceNews.com