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> The Falcon 9 launch vehicle was developed from a blank sheet to first launch in four and half years for just over $300 million. The Falcon 9 is an EELV class
by evoxed 15y ago
> The Falcon 9 launch vehicle was developed from a blank sheet to first launch in four and half years for just over $300 million. The Falcon 9 is an EELV class vehicle that generates roughly one million pounds of thrust (four times the maximum thrust of a Boeing 747) and carries more payload to orbit than a Delta IV Medium.
> The Dragon spacecraft was developed from a blank sheet to the first demonstration flight in just over four years for about $300 million. Last year, SpaceX became the first private company, in partnership with NASA, to successfully orbit and recover a spacecraft. The spacecraft and the Falcon 9 rocket that carried it were designed, manufactured and launched by American workers for an American company. The Falcon 9/Dragon system, with the addition of a launch escape system, seats and upgraded life support, can carry seven astronauts to orbit, more than double the capacity of the Russian Soyuz, but at less than a third of the price per seat.
Well now, look at these gems! If you still need a reason to get into this company, just read the first sentence of either quote.
- skore 15y agoWell, that may be true, but when you hire a ton of NASA scientists, I would assume they can fill out those blank sheets rather quickly...
- objclxt 15y agoSure, but the same is equally true the tech industry: bright developers make smart products.
- InclinedPlane 15y agoAnd yet, how is it that NASA, or even Boeing or Lockheed-Martin, can't manage to fill out those blank sheets rather quickly, let alone cheaply?
- skore 15y agoI would suppose it's a combination of corporate politics being very different, more goal driven than in government agencies and the simple fact that SpaceX simply has a lot more giants on whose shoulders they can stand. Why they are that much more effective at it remains to be seen. I would guess it's being smart with the shoulders you pick to stand on and a good bit of PR.
- rst 15y agoSome of those statements are ... forward-looking. In particular, Dragon isn't man-rated yet, and that will require a lot of further engineering. Most notably, SpaceX has committed to a launch abort system for getting a crewed Dragon away from a failing booster; they've got a concept for this, and design work is underway, but it's not tested as of now, and I think some of the work is probably contingent on getting NASA funding to finish up. So, Dragon can't carry astronauts yet.
- Roboprog 15y agoCool. The Falcon 9 is most of the thrust of a Saturn 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_I#S-I_stage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_I#S-I_stage