5 ms·

> if they can solve launching and landing near population centers They are planning a solution for that: offshore launch platforms [0] 30 km at sea, directly a

by cnlevy 5y ago

> if they can solve launching and landing near population centers They are planning a solution for that: offshore launch platforms [0] 30 km at sea, directly accessible by high-speed train, à la https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansai_International_Airport https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansai_International_Airport [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship_offshore_platforms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship_offshore_platf...

Eelongate 5y ago
Trains huh? I'm pretty damn skeptical of that; those sort of semi-submersible platforms move around a whole lot more than your typical train station. Helicopters are the obvious choice, or ferries if you need a greater capacity. I'm more skeptical of trains to offshore platforms than Starship itself.
- rbanffy 5y ago
  Electric helicopters may be a good option for this and a great opportunity for Tesla’s battery operations.
  - Eelongate 5y ago
    Regular helicopters make more sense to me. They're already used extensively with offshore platforms, so why invent the wheel? The jet fuel they burn is a pittance compared to the hydrocarbons being burned by the rockets. And they have a much better carrying capacity; a Sikorsky S-92 can carry 19 passengers in one trip. Electric helicopters could do what, two or three per trip? Maybe a few more with future battery tech, but I don't think conventional helicopters will be phased out anytime soon.
    - rbanffy 5y ago
      > They're already used extensively with offshore platforms, so why invent the wheel? Because that's Tesla's business. Plus halo effect - you don't want to board a spaceship by flying on a helicopter designed 30 years ago. Remember that battery weight scales linearly with number of passengers, so building a larger battery operated helicopter just needs more motors and batteries. We don't have large e-copters because it costs a lot of money to certify one for 20 passengers and, until now, there is very little demand for that.
    - greedo 5y ago
      Could use a high-speed hydrofoil too. Helicopters aren't the safest mode of transportation, and are horrible in bad weather that a boat would brush off with ease. Plus if we're sending 100 people on a flight, that's quite a few large helicopters plus landing facilities.
      - Eelongate 5y ago
        Absolutely, a high speed ferry could have great throughput; it seems like a great choice if they're going to put a few dozen or more people onto one of these rockets.

by cnlevy 5y ago

Eelongate 5y ago

Trains huh? I'm pretty damn skeptical of that; those sort of semi-submersible platforms move around a whole lot more than your typical train station. Helicopters are the obvious choice, or ferries if you need a greater capacity. I'm more skeptical of trains to offshore platforms than Starship itself.

rbanffy 5y ago
Electric helicopters may be a good option for this and a great opportunity for Tesla’s battery operations.
- Eelongate 5y ago
  Regular helicopters make more sense to me. They're already used extensively with offshore platforms, so why invent the wheel? The jet fuel they burn is a pittance compared to the hydrocarbons being burned by the rockets. And they have a much better carrying capacity; a Sikorsky S-92 can carry 19 passengers in one trip. Electric helicopters could do what, two or three per trip? Maybe a few more with future battery tech, but I don't think conventional helicopters will be phased out anytime soon.
  - rbanffy 5y ago
    > They're already used extensively with offshore platforms, so why invent the wheel? Because that's Tesla's business. Plus halo effect - you don't want to board a spaceship by flying on a helicopter designed 30 years ago. Remember that battery weight scales linearly with number of passengers, so building a larger battery operated helicopter just needs more motors and batteries. We don't have large e-copters because it costs a lot of money to certify one for 20 passengers and, until now, there is very little demand for that.
  - greedo 5y ago
    Could use a high-speed hydrofoil too. Helicopters aren't the safest mode of transportation, and are horrible in bad weather that a boat would brush off with ease. Plus if we're sending 100 people on a flight, that's quite a few large helicopters plus landing facilities.
    - Eelongate 5y ago
      Absolutely, a high speed ferry could have great throughput; it seems like a great choice if they're going to put a few dozen or more people onto one of these rockets.