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If JWST was designed today, with F9 reusable and Starship on the horizon, would/could it have been cheaper to have multiple launches and assembly on orbit, rat

If JWST was designed today, with F9 reusable and Starship on the horizon, would/could it have been cheaper to have multiple launches and assembly on orbit, rather than the super complex unfolding system and all-eggs-in-one-basket launch?

sandworm101 5y ago
>> cheaper to have multiple launches and assembly on orbit This has only been done a handful of times outside of Kerbal. Apollo was one of the very few times that two spacecraft launched separately and then continued onto another orbit (as opposed to space stations that are built and stay where they are). Connecting two objects and then blasting them into a transfer orbit ... even Apollo didn't do that. I don't think it has ever been done. It would mean strong docking hardware and deep structural analysis to handle flexing while under even moderate thrust, something far more than aligning a couple docking ports. Getting a delicate craft to escape velocity would require multiple burns over multiple orbits, necessitating engines that could relight many times. Electric drives could work, but they lack the thrust for a final definitive escape towards an L point.
- polytely 5y ago
  I think it would be very valuable for humanity to start learning how to do assembly in orbit, I think china is planning to do that for their next space station. not sure if that will actually happen, but it would be cool if that sparked a new space race. I think you would be a bit disadvantaged as a superpower when the other superpower can build stuff in orbit while you can't.
  - doctor_eval 5y ago
    Once we build the first large, pressurised hangar in space, then we will be able to start assembling stuff up there far more easily. That's the kind of space station I'm looking forward to. I'm sure assembling a spacecraft while wearing T-shirts in 0G will be far easier than working in 1G. If only building a large, pressurised hangar in space was easy!
kortex 5y ago
I have to imagine it must. Perfect practice make perfect. Another comment mentions the mission has hundreds of single-point failures, and JWST is known to have had testing hiccups on Earth. How much better would the program run overall if it were comprised of a series of increasing-stakes missions, like Apollo? Build a dummy instrument just to test the heat shield. Send a satellite up to L2 with no optics just to test the 26Ghz link. Heck, even just one "dress rehearsal" launch and deployment would inform so much. > Hadden : First rule in government spending: why build one when you can have two at twice the price? - Contact

sandworm101 5y ago

>> cheaper to have multiple launches and assembly on orbit This has only been done a handful of times outside of Kerbal. Apollo was one of the very few times that two spacecraft launched separately and then continued onto another orbit (as opposed to space stations that are built and stay where they are). Connecting two objects and then blasting them into a transfer orbit ... even Apollo didn't do that. I don't think it has ever been done. It would mean strong docking hardware and deep structural analysis to handle flexing while under even moderate thrust, something far more than aligning a couple docking ports. Getting a delicate craft to escape velocity would require multiple burns over multiple orbits, necessitating engines that could relight many times. Electric drives could work, but they lack the thrust for a final definitive escape towards an L point.

polytely 5y ago
I think it would be very valuable for humanity to start learning how to do assembly in orbit, I think china is planning to do that for their next space station. not sure if that will actually happen, but it would be cool if that sparked a new space race. I think you would be a bit disadvantaged as a superpower when the other superpower can build stuff in orbit while you can't.
- doctor_eval 5y ago
  Once we build the first large, pressurised hangar in space, then we will be able to start assembling stuff up there far more easily. That's the kind of space station I'm looking forward to. I'm sure assembling a spacecraft while wearing T-shirts in 0G will be far easier than working in 1G. If only building a large, pressurised hangar in space was easy!

kortex 5y ago

I have to imagine it must. Perfect practice make perfect. Another comment mentions the mission has hundreds of single-point failures, and JWST is known to have had testing hiccups on Earth. How much better would the program run overall if it were comprised of a series of increasing-stakes missions, like Apollo? Build a dummy instrument just to test the heat shield. Send a satellite up to L2 with no optics just to test the 26Ghz link. Heck, even just one "dress rehearsal" launch and deployment would inform so much. > Hadden : First rule in government spending: why build one when you can have two at twice the price? - Contact