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I wouldn't say it's just like that, they actually have a starship, it's actually been put into orbit, they have actually landed a starship booster. All tests of
by big-green-man 2y ago
I wouldn't say it's just like that, they actually have a starship, it's actually been put into orbit, they have actually landed a starship booster. All tests of course.
I agree two years is incredibly optimistic, they've still got to figure out in orbit refueling, a tanker version of starship, and a cargo version of starship before they can plan such a mission. On top of that they have to be sure the belly flop maneuver in the martian atmosphere won't flop, pun intended, without prior testing. But it's significantly more likely now than it was 8 years ago.
- philipwhiuk 2y agoThey actually had a Dragon at the time they wrote that.
- ChocolateGod 2y agoDragon isn't designed to go anywhere beyond LEO with the ISS. Starship with its in-flight-refuelling, is.
- aeternum 2y agoI believe the original plan was a Falcon Heavy carrying a Dragon equipped for propulsive landing. I believe they were actually going to use propulsive landing instead of parachutes even for return to earth. That probably is eventually the answer but the risk just wasn't worth it.
- Manabu-eo 2y agoNASA didn't like the propulsive landing for return to earth, so this capability was not funded, and SpaceX wasn't interested in funding it itself only for this mars mission, so Red Dragon was scrapped.
- philipwhiuk 2y ago> NASA didn't like the propulsive landing for return to earth, Heh, and now it's back ;)