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Very few of their future flights will be expendable (in fact, the Echostar-23 launch coming up next will likely be one of the last). The Block 5 upgrade will b

Very few of their future flights will be expendable (in fact, the Echostar-23 launch coming up next will likely be one of the last). The Block 5 upgrade will bring the performance of Falcon 9 (in a recoverable configuration) up to the point where flights like Echostar will be able to make downrange barge landings. Heavier payloads (which are _very_ rare nowadays) will fly on Falcon Heavy. Polar orbits are almost always low-earth orbits, and therefore are much easier to recover. I would be very surprised if they ever flew an expendable launch out of Vandy in the future.

rkangel 10y ago
> Heavier payloads (which are _very_ rare nowadays) Yes, but how much of that is because there isn't anything to launch them? When Falcon Heavy is up and running, a commercially feasible option will exist for the first time. Maybe that'll change, and we'll start seeing things in space that weren't commercially feasible before.
- JshWright 10y ago
  It's only commercially feasible if SpaceX is willing to sell that service. They are pretty firmly committed to the philosophy of reuse. They have to fly expendable now, because customers can just fly on Ariane/Atlas/etc if SpaceX said no. Once Falcon Heavy is flying, there won't be any competitors with the same payload capacity (until New Glenn, which is also planning first stage reuse, but is still very much a paper rocket at this point).
WesleyLivesay 10y ago
There will always be payload that pushes the rocket to its limits, make a rocket with larger lift capacity and payloads will increase. However, they can build that into the cost of the lift. If the rocket isn't recoverable because of what they want to put in it, just charge them for the rocket. Either way it is better than what we have now.
- LoSboccacc 10y ago
  yeah if computer ram size growth taught me anything is that once there's capacity, there'll be consumption. /me looks sternly at DooM
- JshWright 10y ago
  Maybe... Elon is pretty firmly committed to reuse though. SpaceX is occasionally flying expendable now because they have to compete with Ariane and Atlas. Once Falcon Heavy flies, there won't be any such pressure.

rkangel 10y ago

> Heavier payloads (which are _very_ rare nowadays) Yes, but how much of that is because there isn't anything to launch them? When Falcon Heavy is up and running, a commercially feasible option will exist for the first time. Maybe that'll change, and we'll start seeing things in space that weren't commercially feasible before.

JshWright 10y ago
It's only commercially feasible if SpaceX is willing to sell that service. They are pretty firmly committed to the philosophy of reuse. They have to fly expendable now, because customers can just fly on Ariane/Atlas/etc if SpaceX said no. Once Falcon Heavy is flying, there won't be any competitors with the same payload capacity (until New Glenn, which is also planning first stage reuse, but is still very much a paper rocket at this point).

WesleyLivesay 10y ago

There will always be payload that pushes the rocket to its limits, make a rocket with larger lift capacity and payloads will increase. However, they can build that into the cost of the lift. If the rocket isn't recoverable because of what they want to put in it, just charge them for the rocket. Either way it is better than what we have now.

LoSboccacc 10y ago
yeah if computer ram size growth taught me anything is that once there's capacity, there'll be consumption. /me looks sternly at DooM
JshWright 10y ago
Maybe... Elon is pretty firmly committed to reuse though. SpaceX is occasionally flying expendable now because they have to compete with Ariane and Atlas. Once Falcon Heavy flies, there won't be any such pressure.