5 ms·

When will SpaceX actually reuse one of these landed stages? That's the whole point, right?

gozur88 10y ago
At the CRS-8 post-launch presser Musk said "sometime in June", though lately I've seen them describe it as "later this year". That sort of implies after June.
- ok_craig 10y ago
  How many do they have?
  - 51Cards 10y ago
    4 now, though the first one is going on display at their headquarters. I believe the second one is going to be examined and undergo ground testing only (might be wrong on that). So that leaves just the third and now this one as candidates for re-flight. I like being able to use the term "re-flight".
    - eganist 10y ago
      The high velocity drone ship landing (#3) landed too hard and was deemed unusable for launch duty (Edit 1: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731984739012251648 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731984739012251648), so realistically, it's likely just two of the four so far. Edit 2: per mikeash, it's definitely flyable (i.e. I'm wrong), but it'll still be grounded to aid with testing efforts. Thanks for the correction, Mike! https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/734274360588926976 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/734274360588926976
      - gozur88 10y ago
        The problem isn't that it landed hard, it's that it had to slow down very quickly. That's going to be the case for any GTO launch, including today's flight. From what I understand there was heat damage around the engines.
        eganist 10y ago
        Thanks for the clarification. I'd read that elsewhere but couldn't ID a source in time. Where've you seen that? The good news there is that it might mean the rocket can be rehabilitated if needed since structural damage would be less likely.
        gozur88 10y ago
        Nothing official. This is based on comments (at Ars, I think) from people who studied the pictures closely. According to the latest Musk tweets today's rocket was actually somewhat damaged in the landing - the scrificial "crush core" was, well, crushed.
      - 51Cards 10y ago
        Ah good, thanks. That might have been the one I was thinking of then that was just going to be examined. This flight though was also a high velocity landing so it might have similar issues if that's the case.
      - InclinedPlane 10y ago
        Nope, wrong. It took as much damage as any returning stage could be expected to, but is still reusable.
        eganist 10y ago
        > Nope, wrong. It took as much damage as any returning stage could be expected to, but is still reusable. Edited my comment with source tweet from Elon. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731984739012251648 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731984739012251648 It's very likely not going to fly again. Edit 2: per user mikeash, it's definitely flyable (i.e. I'm wrong), but it'll still be grounded to aid with testing efforts. Thanks for the kind correction, Mike! https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/734274360588926976 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/734274360588926976
        mikeash 10y ago
        "Max damage" doesn't imply unflyable. A later tweet clarified that it's capable of flying again. They'd rather keep it for extensive testing, though, as an example of the most extreme conditions. It won't fly again, but not because it's too busted.
        eganist 10y ago
        Edit: disregard per Mike's comment below. I would think if damage was within tolerances (even at the maximum of such), they'd be willing to relaunch. Implications from the tweet and subsequent conversations are that the damage exceeded thresholds to guarantee safe future flight, which is why they'd use it for testing on the ground. I'd still read his tweet as meaning it's "too busted" to fly, but I suppose it's up to each person's own interpretation. Your point is well received.
        mikeash 10y ago
        No need look for implications, there was a clear statement that it's flyable: https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/734274360588926976 https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/73427436058892697... It's being recruited as the testing leader because it represents the extreme, not because it's grounded.
      - iamcreasy 10y ago
        That's not what he said. He said SpaceX will start testing with the booster that took the most damage, because if it works well then there is high chance that the others will work too.
  - agumonkey 10y ago
    At least 3 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731981135454986240 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731981135454986240 4 including todays one, granted nothing wrong happens in transportation.
- never4ever 10y ago
  Is the plan to re-launch the booster during their normal launch schedule (i.e. carrying a client's satellite/material into space)? Or is the plan to simulate a launch and not add additional risk to the launch? If it is the former, do they think they will be able to adequately calculate a risk percentage for the re-launch? I would assume that if a client is going to be the first test dummy for this process, that they will negotiate significant rate decreases based on the perceived additional risk and the cheaper cost associated with reusing the booster.
  - therein 10y ago
    They could just simulate a client cargo by loading it up with various heavy objects. They can even be funny about what they load it up with. Imagine 2 tons of "Make America Great Again Hats", floating in orbit, wreaking havoc.
c-slice 10y ago
They plan on launching one of the re-used boosters this fall.

At the CRS-8 post-launch presser Musk said "sometime in June", though lately I've seen them describe it as "later this year". That sort of implies after June.

ok_craig 10y ago
How many do they have?
- 51Cards 10y ago
  4 now, though the first one is going on display at their headquarters. I believe the second one is going to be examined and undergo ground testing only (might be wrong on that). So that leaves just the third and now this one as candidates for re-flight. I like being able to use the term "re-flight".
  - eganist 10y ago
    The high velocity drone ship landing (#3) landed too hard and was deemed unusable for launch duty (Edit 1: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731984739012251648 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731984739012251648), so realistically, it's likely just two of the four so far. Edit 2: per mikeash, it's definitely flyable (i.e. I'm wrong), but it'll still be grounded to aid with testing efforts. Thanks for the correction, Mike! https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/734274360588926976 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/734274360588926976
    - gozur88 10y ago
      The problem isn't that it landed hard, it's that it had to slow down very quickly. That's going to be the case for any GTO launch, including today's flight. From what I understand there was heat damage around the engines.
      - eganist 10y ago
        Thanks for the clarification. I'd read that elsewhere but couldn't ID a source in time. Where've you seen that? The good news there is that it might mean the rocket can be rehabilitated if needed since structural damage would be less likely.
        gozur88 10y ago
        Nothing official. This is based on comments (at Ars, I think) from people who studied the pictures closely. According to the latest Musk tweets today's rocket was actually somewhat damaged in the landing - the scrificial "crush core" was, well, crushed.
    - 51Cards 10y ago
      Ah good, thanks. That might have been the one I was thinking of then that was just going to be examined. This flight though was also a high velocity landing so it might have similar issues if that's the case.
    - InclinedPlane 10y ago
      Nope, wrong. It took as much damage as any returning stage could be expected to, but is still reusable.
      - eganist 10y ago
        > Nope, wrong. It took as much damage as any returning stage could be expected to, but is still reusable. Edited my comment with source tweet from Elon. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731984739012251648 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731984739012251648 It's very likely not going to fly again. Edit 2: per user mikeash, it's definitely flyable (i.e. I'm wrong), but it'll still be grounded to aid with testing efforts. Thanks for the kind correction, Mike! https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/734274360588926976 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/734274360588926976
        mikeash 10y ago
        "Max damage" doesn't imply unflyable. A later tweet clarified that it's capable of flying again. They'd rather keep it for extensive testing, though, as an example of the most extreme conditions. It won't fly again, but not because it's too busted.
        eganist 10y ago
        Edit: disregard per Mike's comment below. I would think if damage was within tolerances (even at the maximum of such), they'd be willing to relaunch. Implications from the tweet and subsequent conversations are that the damage exceeded thresholds to guarantee safe future flight, which is why they'd use it for testing on the ground. I'd still read his tweet as meaning it's "too busted" to fly, but I suppose it's up to each person's own interpretation. Your point is well received.
        mikeash 10y ago
        No need look for implications, there was a clear statement that it's flyable: https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/734274360588926976 https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/73427436058892697... It's being recruited as the testing leader because it represents the extreme, not because it's grounded.
    - iamcreasy 10y ago
      That's not what he said. He said SpaceX will start testing with the booster that took the most damage, because if it works well then there is high chance that the others will work too.
- agumonkey 10y ago
  At least 3 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731981135454986240 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731981135454986240 4 including todays one, granted nothing wrong happens in transportation.
never4ever 10y ago
Is the plan to re-launch the booster during their normal launch schedule (i.e. carrying a client's satellite/material into space)? Or is the plan to simulate a launch and not add additional risk to the launch? If it is the former, do they think they will be able to adequately calculate a risk percentage for the re-launch? I would assume that if a client is going to be the first test dummy for this process, that they will negotiate significant rate decreases based on the perceived additional risk and the cheaper cost associated with reusing the booster.
- therein 10y ago
  They could just simulate a client cargo by loading it up with various heavy objects. They can even be funny about what they load it up with. Imagine 2 tons of "Make America Great Again Hats", floating in orbit, wreaking havoc.

c-slice 10y ago

They plan on launching one of the re-used boosters this fall.