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The big picture is that instead of sending 16 moon-capable rockets to refuel one moon-capable rocket, just send 16 rockets to the moon. You can build a lot of
by elsonrodriguez 3y ago
The big picture is that instead of sending 16 moon-capable rockets to refuel one moon-capable rocket, just send 16 rockets to the moon.
You can build a lot of infrastructure with 16 rockets to the moon.
- Zren 3y agoWait, are they not using Starship to refuel? If they are then that's 1 Crew ship (SLS?) + 1 Starship with 16 round trips. Considering we don't know the failure rate for refueling with Starship, they might need 2-3 Starship rockets. Actually, are they going to be refueling in orbit with crew on board? Or are they launching a rocket into orbit and refueling it, then launching another rocket with the crew to dock with the fueled rocket? > NASA says SpaceX’s next Starship flight could test refueling tech > https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38612585 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38612585 > In 2020, NASA announced agreements with four companies—Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, and a Florida-based startup named Eta Space—to prove capabilities in the area of refueling and propellant depots using cryogenic propellants. Ah, it's first come first served. > without astronauts onboard. Once that is successful, NASA will clear Starship for a crew landing on the agency's Artemis III mission, marking the astronauts' return to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972. So it seems they'll use a Starship for crew as well?