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I added the date clarification to the original title. The article discusses SpaceX launching the same Falcon 9 rocket, serial number B1058, for the 18th time.

by TMWNN 3y ago

I added the date clarification to the original title. The article discusses SpaceX launching the same Falcon 9 rocket, serial number B1058, for the 18th time. Its first use was to send Crew Dragon Demo-2 to the ISS in May 2020; it was the first manned launch from US soil since the shuttle's retirement in 2011. The 18th launch broke a tie with another SpaceX booster with 17 launches. SpaceX currently limits itself to 20 uses per booster for Starlink launches but may raise the limit. Its customers, according to the article, always get boosters with fewer uses than that.

tastyfreeze 3y ago
I hope they continue to push some boosters until failures start happening. There isn't really another way to improve the longevity of a booster without learning the long term failure modes.
- TMWNN 3y ago
  Yes, that's the likely scenario: Keep reusing boosters for Starlink launches until they fail. If it turns out that they can be reused 30, 40, 50, 100 times, all the better.
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  Are they still building Falcon 9s? I thought they had directed all manufacturing capacity to Starship. If so, they need this fleet to last as long as possible to continue to generate revenue for Starship development until it is flight proven, at which point the Falcon fleet becomes disposable (Heavy missions only?). Edit: Appreciate the replies providing context!
  - asadotzler 3y ago
    Yes. They still build new boosters, not often, a few a year, and new second stages are cranked out every few days. F9 is still in production and will be for years to come. It shares no manufacturing with Starship.
  - rst 3y ago
    The second stages are still single-use only, and they're still occasionally building a first stage, if only to be sure they don't lose the capacity. (They're less public about engine replacements, but those are still probably happening too, on "flight proven" boosters in inventory.)
- grecy 3y ago
  > I hope they continue to push some boosters until failures start happening The only problem with that is the media going wild with headlines of "Musk's SpaceX rocket blows up, catastrophic failure", etc. etc. While those in the know will know, the general public will eat it up.

by TMWNN 3y ago

tastyfreeze 3y ago

I hope they continue to push some boosters until failures start happening. There isn't really another way to improve the longevity of a booster without learning the long term failure modes.

TMWNN 3y ago
Yes, that's the likely scenario: Keep reusing boosters for Starlink launches until they fail. If it turns out that they can be reused 30, 40, 50, 100 times, all the better.
toomuchtodo 3y ago
Are they still building Falcon 9s? I thought they had directed all manufacturing capacity to Starship. If so, they need this fleet to last as long as possible to continue to generate revenue for Starship development until it is flight proven, at which point the Falcon fleet becomes disposable (Heavy missions only?). Edit: Appreciate the replies providing context!
- asadotzler 3y ago
  Yes. They still build new boosters, not often, a few a year, and new second stages are cranked out every few days. F9 is still in production and will be for years to come. It shares no manufacturing with Starship.
- rst 3y ago
  The second stages are still single-use only, and they're still occasionally building a first stage, if only to be sure they don't lose the capacity. (They're less public about engine replacements, but those are still probably happening too, on "flight proven" boosters in inventory.)
grecy 3y ago
> I hope they continue to push some boosters until failures start happening The only problem with that is the media going wild with headlines of "Musk's SpaceX rocket blows up, catastrophic failure", etc. etc. While those in the know will know, the general public will eat it up.