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Does the rocket design really reuse these? I keep on hearing they are designed for reuse but even though SpaceX is landing lots of boosters I've yet to see anot

Does the rocket design really reuse these? I keep on hearing they are designed for reuse but even though SpaceX is landing lots of boosters I've yet to see another company landed and reuse an orbital booster. Will they be landing be-4 in 2020 or later?

yakz 6y ago
I believe the current plan is to drop them with a parachute: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_Centaur#SMART_reuse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_Centaur#SMART_reuse
- ceejayoz 6y ago
  They suspended those plans. > Through 2020, ULA has not announced firm plans to fund and build/test this engine-reuse concept, though they stated in late 2019 that they were "still planning to eventually reuse Vulcan’s first-stage engines."
- donor20 6y ago
  Interesting - inflatable heat shield, parachute, mid air helicopter catch. A few moving parts - be interesting to watch these - they claim 90% first stage cost savings. I remember blue orgin trying to block SpaceX from pad 39A. They even appealed NASA's decision to GAO I think. They were going to be launching orbital mission in 2018 I think with folks on board. Whatever happened to those launch plans? Elon had a pretty memorable quote I think. "If they do somehow show up in the next 5 years with a vehicle qualified to NASA's human rating standards that can dock with the Space Station, which is what Pad 39A is meant to do, we will gladly accommodate their needs," Musk wrote. "Frankly, I think we are more likely to discover unicorns dancing in the flame duct."
thinkcontext 6y ago
ULA's rocket, Vulcan, is supposed to launch next year. The initial version will not be reusable though a concept for a future version is to detach the engines and have them parachute to be recovered. Blue Origin's rocket, New Glenn, will use the same engine, be bigger than Vulcan and be reusable by landing like Falcon 9. It is supposed to launch in 2022.
FrojoS 6y ago
There are two rockets in the works that plan to use this engine on their booster. 1) One is New Glenn by Blue Origin, which plans to land the booster (incl. the BE-4 engine) from the get go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=532ay25-kmU&ab_channel=VideoFromSpace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=532ay25-kmU&ab_channel=Video... 2) The other rocket is ULAs Vulcan, which plans to land the engines without the booster using a parachute and helicopter. However, that plan is on paper only and it won't be implemented yet when Vulcan goes into service. As OPs article states, there isn't even an official timeline. Presumably ULA is waiting for government money to develop the capability. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lftGq6QVFFI&ab_channel=UnitedLaunchAlliance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lftGq6QVFFI&ab_channel=Unite...
- MPSimmons 6y ago
  I have significant doubts about the launch rate of ULA allowing them to get this working in time. I suspect SpaceX will continue to eat their market share, and when Blue Origin comes along, ULA won't have any whatsoever. Richard Shelby isn't getting younger.
  - nickik 6y ago
    ULA has lots of integration with military and it will take many years before ULA will not be at least the second military launcher. New Glenn taking that market is pretty unlikely for many years to come. ULA has always survived on government launches alone. Now they survive on less then half the government launches, but there are more of them.

yakz 6y ago

I believe the current plan is to drop them with a parachute: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_Centaur#SMART_reuse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_Centaur#SMART_reuse

ceejayoz 6y ago
They suspended those plans. > Through 2020, ULA has not announced firm plans to fund and build/test this engine-reuse concept, though they stated in late 2019 that they were "still planning to eventually reuse Vulcan’s first-stage engines."
donor20 6y ago
Interesting - inflatable heat shield, parachute, mid air helicopter catch. A few moving parts - be interesting to watch these - they claim 90% first stage cost savings. I remember blue orgin trying to block SpaceX from pad 39A. They even appealed NASA's decision to GAO I think. They were going to be launching orbital mission in 2018 I think with folks on board. Whatever happened to those launch plans? Elon had a pretty memorable quote I think. "If they do somehow show up in the next 5 years with a vehicle qualified to NASA's human rating standards that can dock with the Space Station, which is what Pad 39A is meant to do, we will gladly accommodate their needs," Musk wrote. "Frankly, I think we are more likely to discover unicorns dancing in the flame duct."

thinkcontext 6y ago

ULA's rocket, Vulcan, is supposed to launch next year. The initial version will not be reusable though a concept for a future version is to detach the engines and have them parachute to be recovered. Blue Origin's rocket, New Glenn, will use the same engine, be bigger than Vulcan and be reusable by landing like Falcon 9. It is supposed to launch in 2022.

FrojoS 6y ago

There are two rockets in the works that plan to use this engine on their booster. 1) One is New Glenn by Blue Origin, which plans to land the booster (incl. the BE-4 engine) from the get go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=532ay25-kmU&ab_channel=VideoFromSpace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=532ay25-kmU&ab_channel=Video... 2) The other rocket is ULAs Vulcan, which plans to land the engines without the booster using a parachute and helicopter. However, that plan is on paper only and it won't be implemented yet when Vulcan goes into service. As OPs article states, there isn't even an official timeline. Presumably ULA is waiting for government money to develop the capability. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lftGq6QVFFI&ab_channel=UnitedLaunchAlliance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lftGq6QVFFI&ab_channel=Unite...

MPSimmons 6y ago
I have significant doubts about the launch rate of ULA allowing them to get this working in time. I suspect SpaceX will continue to eat their market share, and when Blue Origin comes along, ULA won't have any whatsoever. Richard Shelby isn't getting younger.
- nickik 6y ago
  ULA has lots of integration with military and it will take many years before ULA will not be at least the second military launcher. New Glenn taking that market is pretty unlikely for many years to come. ULA has always survived on government launches alone. Now they survive on less then half the government launches, but there are more of them.