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Something I don't understand about the criticisms of the launch is that the rocket landed back on a platform. This was something SpaceX was (entirely justifiabl
by losvedir 5y ago
Something I don't understand about the criticisms of the launch is that the rocket landed back on a platform. This was something SpaceX was (entirely justifiably) lauded for. Is it just old hat now? Or is the SpaceX version of it more technically challenging in some way?
- dcow 5y agoI think people are just bored and disgruntled now.
- elcombato 5y agoI think it’s due to the substantial difference between New Shepard and Falcon 9. New Shepard has a much lower payload capability and is not able to go orbital. Therefore the landing of the Falcon 9 booster is a significantly greater challenge than the landing of New Shepard.
- timcosta 5y agoMy take on this is that the BO/VG vehicles are simply dwarfed by SpaceX/F9 in terms of both physical size [1] (source [2]) and launch profile [3] (source [4]). It's partially that it's more routine now, but it's more that the F9 is so much larger, has a far more complicated launch trajectory, and in my opinion that they are landing on barges in the middle of the ocean. [1]: https://everydayastronaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Size-Comparison-with-Falcon-2048x1152.png https://everydayastronaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Siz... [2]: https://everydayastronaut.com/new-shepard-vs-spaceshiptwo/ https://everydayastronaut.com/new-shepard-vs-spaceshiptwo/ [3]: https://hips.hearstapps.com/pop.h-cdn.co/assets/15/52/1600x900/hd-aspect-1450887852-atkpdax.png?resize=980:\ https://hips.hearstapps.com/pop.h-cdn.co/assets/15/52/1600x9...* [4]: https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a18711/blue-origin-vs-spacex/ https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a18711/blue-o...