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Are all those landings in the same spot? I was under the impression that the LZ can be all over the place depending on the weight/trajectory of the payload.
by Analemma_ 9y ago
Are all those landings in the same spot? I was under the impression that the LZ can be all over the place depending on the weight/trajectory of the payload.
- ceejayoz 9y agoHeavy payloads and ones destined for geostationary orbit currently need a drone ship, whereas lighter payloads or ones for low orbit can return to the launch site. I'm not sure how much the drone ship launches deviate in a north/south or east/west direction for ship landings (couldn't find a map). The boosters have a fairly significant ability to maneuver, and a fixed platform may offer enough benefits to slightly limit payload sizes. Falcon Heavy will also help there.
- mikeash 9y agoEventually, BFR will have enough performance margin to return to the launch site on all missions. I suspect SpaceX wouldn't want to invest in any fixed oceanic infrastructure when their next generation system wouldn't have any use for it.
- ceejayoz 9y agoTheir BFR video showed sea platforms near cities being used for launch/landing for Earth-to-Earth transit, though.
- tcheard 9y agoI believe that is more because most cities won't want a really loud rocket launching/landing nearby.
- gozur88 9y agoBFR will have enough performance margin to RTL for missions with F9 sized payloads. But eventually customers will want heavier payloads, and that will mean no RTL.
- mikeash 9y agoThere’s no provision for BFR boosters to land anywhere but the launch site. They’re looking at 150 tons to orbit that way. If a customer wants more, they can put it up on two flights.
- JshWright 9y agoThe drone ship location varies quite a bit, depending on payload, destination orbit, weather, etc.