4 ms·

Additionally, this was the first time that the fairings were recovered and are expected to be reused for a future launch: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1

Additionally, this was the first time that the fairings were recovered and are expected to be reused for a future launch: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1069679948103847939 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1069679948103847939 The fairings currently cost a total of $6MM for each launch, or at least 10% of the physical rocket cost, so this could lead to significant savings for future launches.

cptskippy 8y ago
> The fairings currently cost a total of $6MM for each launch WHAAAAA?! What are they made of? I thought the fairings were just the covers for the payload. What makes them so expensive?
- ygra 8y ago
  They have to survive the launch through the thicker part of the atmosphere, yet still be light enough to not eat into the payload much. Made from aluminium honeycomb and carbon fiber mostly, if I remember correctly. But those things are quite large as well.
- asaddhamani 8y ago
  I think they play a pretty important role in protecting the payload from atmospheric drag among other things, and it needs to be pretty strong / reliable. That must add to the cost. Don't know what materials are used so can't say about material costs.
- kirrent 8y ago
  They're large or larger than a double decker bus. They're released well after first stage separation so they need to be as light as possible. Stupidly light. Despite being very large and very light, they need to be very resistant to vibration through hypersonic speeds and go through a huge range of temperatures. They need to separate reliably and equalize pressure during ascent. They look like a mere shell, but they're actually advanced composite structures with a fair amount of tech involved.
  - robin_reala 8y ago
    They also have a built in parachute deployment mechanism which can safely get them down to sea level.
    - gpm 8y ago
      I don't think it's fair to count that as part of the 6M cost that you are "saving", if you just did the typical thing and threw them away you wouldn't need parachutes.
- JshWright 8y ago
  Carbon fiber and aluminum, mostly. The reason for reuse isn't really the cost (though that's certainly part of it). The main driver is that they are going to become the production bottleneck if Falcon 9 reaches the flight cadence they are shooting for. The fairings are a big, unwieldy shape, and they take up a lot of room during the manufacturing process, so they can only make one at a time.
  - SEJeff 8y ago
    Elon described it in an interview once as this: If you saw $6 million, falling from the sky, would you try to catch it? Each fairing is around $3 million, so they're trying to catch it. That gives them $6 million more per-customer they can discount the price should they need to get really competitive. It is really kind of insane that no one has tried this before.
    - jczhang 8y ago
      Love that kind of commentary Elon provides.
    - nur0n 8y ago
      Link to the interview?
      - SEJeff 8y ago
        I did look at the past few interviews I've watched, but can't easily find it and google is failing me. It was one of the long hour+ interviews, I do believe.
      - Lanzaa 8y ago
        Musk has used the pallet of cash analogy several times. Here is Musk using it in regards to saving the fairing @ ISS Research and Development Conference 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cPMS6cT0Ig&t=825 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cPMS6cT0Ig&t=825 In regards to the first stage (booster stage) at Code Conference 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsixsRI-Sz4&t=545 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsixsRI-Sz4&t=545
JamesCoyne 8y ago
The recovery ship(FSV Mr. Steven) has a twitter account (unofficial) https://twitter.com/FairingCatcher https://twitter.com/FairingCatcher

cptskippy 8y ago

> The fairings currently cost a total of $6MM for each launch WHAAAAA?! What are they made of? I thought the fairings were just the covers for the payload. What makes them so expensive?

ygra 8y ago
They have to survive the launch through the thicker part of the atmosphere, yet still be light enough to not eat into the payload much. Made from aluminium honeycomb and carbon fiber mostly, if I remember correctly. But those things are quite large as well.
asaddhamani 8y ago
I think they play a pretty important role in protecting the payload from atmospheric drag among other things, and it needs to be pretty strong / reliable. That must add to the cost. Don't know what materials are used so can't say about material costs.
kirrent 8y ago
They're large or larger than a double decker bus. They're released well after first stage separation so they need to be as light as possible. Stupidly light. Despite being very large and very light, they need to be very resistant to vibration through hypersonic speeds and go through a huge range of temperatures. They need to separate reliably and equalize pressure during ascent. They look like a mere shell, but they're actually advanced composite structures with a fair amount of tech involved.
- robin_reala 8y ago
  They also have a built in parachute deployment mechanism which can safely get them down to sea level.
  - gpm 8y ago
    I don't think it's fair to count that as part of the 6M cost that you are "saving", if you just did the typical thing and threw them away you wouldn't need parachutes.
JshWright 8y ago
Carbon fiber and aluminum, mostly. The reason for reuse isn't really the cost (though that's certainly part of it). The main driver is that they are going to become the production bottleneck if Falcon 9 reaches the flight cadence they are shooting for. The fairings are a big, unwieldy shape, and they take up a lot of room during the manufacturing process, so they can only make one at a time.
- SEJeff 8y ago
  Elon described it in an interview once as this: If you saw $6 million, falling from the sky, would you try to catch it? Each fairing is around $3 million, so they're trying to catch it. That gives them $6 million more per-customer they can discount the price should they need to get really competitive. It is really kind of insane that no one has tried this before.
  - jczhang 8y ago
    Love that kind of commentary Elon provides.
  - nur0n 8y ago
    Link to the interview?
    - SEJeff 8y ago
      I did look at the past few interviews I've watched, but can't easily find it and google is failing me. It was one of the long hour+ interviews, I do believe.
    - Lanzaa 8y ago
      Musk has used the pallet of cash analogy several times. Here is Musk using it in regards to saving the fairing @ ISS Research and Development Conference 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cPMS6cT0Ig&t=825 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cPMS6cT0Ig&t=825 In regards to the first stage (booster stage) at Code Conference 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsixsRI-Sz4&t=545 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsixsRI-Sz4&t=545

JamesCoyne 8y ago

The recovery ship(FSV Mr. Steven) has a twitter account (unofficial) https://twitter.com/FairingCatcher https://twitter.com/FairingCatcher