5 ms·
That was my first reaction. I thought they could create a dummy payload with the same dimensions and weight. But, then... unless the weight distribution of the
by yawz 10y ago
That was my first reaction. I thought they could create a dummy payload with the same dimensions and weight. But, then... unless the weight distribution of the payload is important.
- Klathmon 10y agoLoading the payload isn't a quick thing, it takes time and a lot of careful work to do. So doing it before the tests can save a lot of time and I'm guessing money.
- martindevans 10y agoLoading the payload also requires a load of work moving the vehicle about etc. If you want to be certain you didn't damage the vehicle in any way during all of that then you need to test again once the payload is attached. Of course normally a failure during a test would be something like minor thrust fluctuations - not a complete loss of vehicle and payload!
- fnj 10y agoUnderstood that mating the payload is a lot of work, but it is one hell of a lot less work than building a complete new payload.