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I wouldn't say "almost done" - orbital refueling is likely one of the hard parts, and it wasn't attempted yet.
by virgilp 1y ago
I wouldn't say "almost done" - orbital refueling is likely one of the hard parts, and it wasn't attempted yet.
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago> orbital refueling is likely one of the hard parts It's the most novel and riskiest. I wouldn't say it's hardest. That's launch, reëntry and reüse. They've substantially de-risked those components with IFT-11. I'd put IFT-12 validating Block 3 as the actual hardest launch next year. If that goes smoothly, I'm betting they make orbit and propellant transfer before the end of the year. And if that happens, I'm betting they get at least one rocket off to Mars before year end.
- virgilp 1y agoI never claimed "hardest". And yes, block3 being as of right now still unproven is another reason to say "not almost done with the hard parts yet".
- peterfirefly 1y agoIt's probably a lot easier than the raptors, the plumbing, the launch tower, the launch mount, the belly flop, staging, and the catching. It's probably easier than the pez dispenser.