Questions tagged [spacex]
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, is a private space exploration company. It was the world's first privately held company to successfully launch a cargo mission into space , cargo to the ISS (International Space Station), land and reuse a booster, and a crewed mission into orbit. See the wiki for related tags.
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Methane or LOX tank at Boca Chica
As we can see on this picture from Mary "@bocachicagal" on NASASpaceFlight, there are two types of tank near the test stand.
Some are black and others are white or bright and shiny metal, ...
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Wouldn’t Super Heavy flip following stage seperation, even without help from its 3 lit engines?
At 1:40 on the SpaceX launch commentary, the announcer said that after hot staging, “the three engines still firing on Super Heavy will flip the booster around”.
With empty tanks, the center of mass ...
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What happened to the SpaceX Starship SN11? Why did it crash?
What happened to the SpaceX Starship SN11?
As per the live streams held on YouTube, I want to know what really happened to SpaceX Starship SN11
The live streams show a lot of smoke and others show ...
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Is vacuum created between the inner engines under Earth's atmosphere that could affect the booster in the early moments of the ascent?
The booster has a lot more engines than the Starship.
My thoughts are that if there's isn't a pressure relief to the innermost engines they could create a vacuum pulling the hot gasses expelled. I ...
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Why Spacex Starship is not a modular rocket?
The past Nov 18 was the last launch, of Starship.
The things didn't happen as planned.
But all of us know that soon or later Spacex will make it a successful.
It will be a long time before it can be ...
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Scattering of exhaust gases during Starship IFT-2 hot staging
Various footage of the IFT-2 of SpaceX's Starship show intriguing pattern of, presumably, exhaust gases illuminated by the Ship's 3+3 engines (attached below). While this may be an optical illusion, ...
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How much payload can Falcon Heavy Reusable lift?
I can only find figures for the Expendable configuration - 63.8 metric tons. The Wikipedia article says
The partially reusable Falcon Heavy falls into the heavy-lift range of
launch systems, ...
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How does SpaceX get its boosters from the ASDS to SLC-40?
Getting a freshly-landed booster from a drone ship to pad 39A seems straightforward: there's a deepwater channel from Port Canaveral to a dock next to the VAB. Sail the ASDS up, lift the booster off ...
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Who is manufacturing the solar panels for Starlink satellites?
I am trying to understand the supply chain behind the Starlink Satellite Constellation. I am wondering how SpaceX is able to source those many solar panels. If somebody could give a brief explanation, ...
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Why is fuel cheap compared to rocket?
The fuel for a Falcon 9 (SpaceX) costs around \$200,000 per launch, while the launch itself costs \$62,000,000.
Safety precautions, rocket shell and rocket engines cost a lot. But why not fuel?
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Before we build a Mars colony, why don't we build a 100% self-sustainable test colony in the Antarctic?
Before we go to Mars, why don't we build a sealed dome self sustaining colony in the Antarctic? One that can heat itself, recycle all materials, water and waste. Grow enough plants to produce oxygen ...
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How far has Artificial Intelligence (AI) came in satellites? [closed]
Are AIs being used in satellites? If yes, have they learned to adapt in satellites?
In what way AI has benefited space exploration for us?
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What's the reason behind SpaceX's timing of launching Starlink satellites?
I noticed a pattern in the timing of Starlink launches: In the first half of each year, Starlink launches occur rather during the day, and in the second half, they occur rather during the night (...
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Why are Falcon 9 main engines throttled down and up shortly after launch?
On the official webcast of SpaceX's Iridium-4 mission a "throttle down and throttle back up of the Falcon 9 first stage engines" is mentioned. Why would one throttle down at a crucial time ...
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Can Starship reach orbit without superheavy, now upgraded as of Jan 2022 to 9 engines and stretched tanks?
Can Starship reach orbit without superheavy, now that it's been upgraded as of Jan 2022 to 9 engines (added 3 vacuum raptors) and stretched tanks? Back in 2018 Elon said on twitter that the earlier ...
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How does SpaceX prevent fuel from cluttering together in zero G [closed]
What is the solution to stop fuel inside starship collecting in center of the tank during zero G flight? Here is a rough sketch of starship with rudimentary diaphragm system to control flow of fuel ...
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Why would astronauts need a wristwatch and a separate timer?
Watching this image used in this question
Why would astronauts in SpaceX's Crew Dragon need two separate timing devices: one portable digital timer, and one wristwatch, rather than carrying into orbit ...
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What is this device/object that the SpaceX astronauts are holding?
Watching the SpaceX Demo-2 launch preparation livestream, I saw both Bob and Doug using some sort of little gadget. It looks like a chunky cell phone, or a flat gopro. It appears to have an LCD on the ...
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GSLV MK2 vs Falcon 9 - Reasons for Huge performance difference
Yesterday ISRO operated the GSLV MK2 launch vehicle, which is a medium lift launch vehicle with a capability to lift 5 tonnes to LEO.
I just compared Falcon 9 with GSLV MK2. Falcon 9 capability to ...
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Is there evidence whether SpaceX is making a profit launching rockets?
Since SpaceX is privately held, I'm not able to find information about whether they are actually turning a profit on their launches of reusable rockets. (Perhaps they are conducting launches, but at a ...
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Are the things I'm seeing satellites?
I have seen objects that look like satellites, but there are many of them, and they move in one direction in a straight line. Can someone help me to understand what they are?
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Does launching a device into orbit change earth's orbit?
Does launching a space shuttle or rocket change the earth's orbit?
After all, to get momentum in space you need to throw something out.
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How does SpaceX get through regulatory issues so quickly?
"Regulatory" isn't the right word, but I don't know what is.
For example, SpaceX seemed to be able to prove to NASA's satisfaction that they were sufficiently safe to use for crewed launches ...
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How fast do Starlink satellites (SpaceX new satellites) rotate around the earth?
I'm specifically interested in knowing how long they take to do a full circle around the earth but don't find any info. Could anyone help me?
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Why was Booster 9's 29 engine static fire ended 2.36 seconds early? [duplicate]
Suggested by Darth Pseudonym in answer to my other similar question. Recently (August 7), Booster 9 conducted a static fire test where it shutdown after only 2.74 of the planned 5 seconds of burn ...
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What is the reliability of the Merlin engine?
I know that Merlin is extremely reliable, at least over 99%. I do know of one time when one failed, on Falcon 9's fourth launch. SpaceX had used hundreds, if not thousands, of them. I assume there is ...
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Does a RTLS (Return To Launch Site) landing deposit more soot on the booster than a drone ship landing?
First, it performs an extra burn (the boostback burn). Does this burn make a credible source of extra soot? Second, sometimes it appears to have flown through the second stage's exhaust plume. Does ...
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Why were 4 engines shutdown prematurely during Booster 9's static fire?
Recently (August 7), Booster 9 conducted a static fire test where it only ignited 29 of 33 engines. This is the big static fire, there not another one. I have found that they were shutdown prematurely ...
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How effective are Falcon 9 1st stage grid fins in the last few seconds before landing?
This answer discusses the three methods that the Falcon 9 1st stage uses for attitude control during re-entry and landing. They are: cold nitrogen jets, "hypersonic" grid fins, and thrust vectoring of ...
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What are the towers around the SpaceX launch pad used for?
I noticed four(?) towers around the SpaceX launch pad during yesterday's aborted launch
Image credit NBC News
What are the towers used for? Tracking? Radio communications?
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Do 'size of a bus' sized F9 fairings ever float after impact? Are they navigation hazards?
This and this answer describe the Falcon 9 fairings as being quite large, with the payload volume being roughly "the size of a bus" or simply
REALLY REALLY big. 13 meters by 4.6 meters
and being ...
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What advantages will Rocket Lab's Neutron have over the Falcon 9?
With Neutron's debut coming up next year, are there any advantages of Rocket Labs design over SpaceX's Falcon 9 FT? The most obvious I can see are the attached fairings, but certainly with all the ...
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What was the size of the SpaceX team in 2006?
I know a previous question has been asked for the team in 2008 (first successful launch of the Falcon 1).
However, reading Ashlee Vance' s book on Elon Musk, I came accross this paragraph:
With that ...
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How many SpaceX 2nd stages are in heliocentric orbits?
I can think of one particularly famous SpaceX 2nd stage in heliocentric orbit that even has its own website: https://www.whereisroadster.com/ and I know one was used to send DSCOVR towards Sun-Earth ...
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Falcon 9 Merlin 1d thrust calculated through every moment of flight
I am currently trying to recreate the launch of falcon 9 in unity. For the calculations I need the thrust of the first stage (only doing it for one stage for now).
How to calculate it depending on the ...
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Does SpaceX expect 1 collision involving one of their Starlink satellites every 2 years?
I read on https://gizmodo.com/spacex-starlink-satellites-dodge-137-objects-daily-1850616506
by Passant Rabie:
A new report revealed that Starlink satellites had to make 25,000 collision avoidance ...
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Has Orion's touch-screen instrument panel been influenced by Dragon's v2 panel? (or vice-versa)
I recently read about Orion's touch-screen instrument panels designs, and remember seeing this first on the Dragon v2 unveiling (with a 4 panel design instead of 3).
Was this design influenced in any ...
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How does the current or future network latency of SpaceX Starlink compare to wired internet?
When reading about SpaceX Starlink, high frequency stock traders are mentioned as a potentially lucrative customers, this is because satellite to satellite communications don't have glass between them ...
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Why doesn’t SpaceX sell Raptor engines commercially?
I have never studied rocket science and am just curious about this.
I would assume one Raptor 2 engine could launch a small rocket to space. I heard they are able to make them for less than a million ...
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Is a Raptor 2's thermal output really comparable to that of a nuclear power plant?
After about 01:10:10 in the 2022-02-10 SpaceX Starship Update part of Musks answer to Tim Dodd's question about Raptor 2 development:
The only remaining issue that ...
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Why did the June 2016 SpaceX launch run out of propellant?
In other words, what caused SpaceX to miscalculate the amount of propellant required to safely land the booster. They had landed successfully on the drone ship in April. So what went wrong here? What ...
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Why do SpaceX Starships look so "homemade"?
Maybe this is not possible to answer, but I was hoping there was some reliable information available on this.
It seems to me that the SpaceX Starship rockets have sort of a homemade quality to them, ...
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How long does the refurbishment process of a Falcon 9 take?
When launching a reused Falcon 9, how much time would it take to refurbish a used first stage in order to get into working condition?
NOTE: This question is different as it looks at the time between ...
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SpaceX Falcon Reusable First Stage Innovations
What are the top five innovations that SpaceX was able to accomplish that allows the first stage to land vertically and be reused?
I am sure the Apollo program would have liked to reuse their first ...
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Could Falcon 9 push the second stage a little longer after MECO and before separation?
When watching Starlink launches I noticed the MECO/stage separation usually occurs at about 2m30s with the speed of about 8000 km/h and altitude about 65 km. After the separation the first stage with ...
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Flying saucer shape rocket vs cylindrical shape rocket
Here's my hypothesis-
Cylinder shaped large rocket is not suitable for vertical landing due to its high center of mass and bulky weight. However an equally weighing saucer shape rocket has more ...
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Are Falcon Heavy fairings reused?
I heard a lot about SpaceX reusing the fairings from the Falcon 9. Do they/ are they planning to do the same for Falcon Heavy?
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For the 4/20 Launch of Starship does anyone know what was inside starship?
I was curious to know if they built rooms or had dummies inside, or what they put in it to simulate weight.
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Will spaceX crewed boosters have a self-destruct mechanism?
SpaceX's most recent launch went awry and they triggered the self-destruct. Crewed missions have a launch escape system which is a high-thrust rocket that can get the capsule clear of the main rocket ...
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Why was Space X's Starship blown up?
I understand that thousands of small rocket fragments will cause less damage when they fall than an intact rocket. But at the time Starship was detonated, I believe it was over the ocean, and not ...
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