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Will Starship's upcoming test flight count as "to orbit"? IIRC they're not planning on circularising the orbit - i.e. perigee will be well inside the atmosphere
by Karellen 4y ago
Will Starship's upcoming test flight count as "to orbit"? IIRC they're not planning on circularising the orbit - i.e. perigee will be well inside the atmosphere, and the vehicle will re-enter and splashdown before getting back to the starting longitude.
- fallingknife 4y agoIf they can get it out of the atmosphere, up to orbital velocity, and back in, and land it in one piece, they will have done the hard part, and getting it fully to orbit will be a foregone conclusion.
- alecfreudenberg 4y agoGood point on the mismatched comparison. My assumption is the hardest part is an orbital altitude, not the completion of orbit. The completion of an orbit just seems to be an unnecessary safety and control risk. If you can't land it, it makes sense to sandwich the 'orbital altitude' and 'smile and wave around the moon' mission into one. For SpaceX, focusing on the altitude seems to make the most sense. Especially considering that refilling may even be a higher priority than a moon pass. NASA appears focused on inspirational discovery/science, while SpaceX is focused on making life multiplanetary. These are closely related, but fundamentally different missions.