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Looked very impressive and there is enormous progress compared to the earlier tests. Especially as all engines seemed to work throughout the entire launch, the
by fabian2k 3y ago
Looked very impressive and there is enormous progress compared to the earlier tests. Especially as all engines seemed to work throughout the entire launch, the earlier tests had significant engine troubles so they seem to have a handle on that now.
The reentry burn failing doesn't seem like a huge deal in this case, especially as the engines worked very well earlier.
- XorNot 3y agoIts still an issue because they haven't really confidently demonstrated a relight of the engines while flying. Hot staging avoids a relight, but they still need to do it. It does mean they technically have an expendable heavy launch vehicle though.
- hughes 3y agoThe boostback burn demonstrated relight today.
- Daneel_ 3y agoThe key demonstration is “relight in a vacuum”, which was the test that was skipped late in the stream. If you can do this then deorbiting is possible. Relight of the booster doesn’t demonstrate this, unfortunately.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- hagbard_c 3y ago> It does mean they technically have an expendable heavy launch vehicle though. That is how they started using Falcon 9 as well: first expendable but testing recovery - which failed several times in several interesting ways - until that process was refined into what now seems to be a normal thing: the first stage launches, drops off a second stage, turns around and makes its way back to either the launch site or a floating platform. I assume they have the same plans for this system: launch expendable while using the hardware to refine the process of recovery until in not that many years from now they launch and land and launch again.