All Questions
Tagged with spacex falcon-heavy
162
questions
14
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What is the new horizontal test stand at SpaceX's McGregor, TX facility meant to test?
If you look on Google Maps, at the McGregor, TX test site, you can see the old test stand (Labelled A) where they test each Falcon 9 first stage for a 9 engine fire as an acceptance test before ...
- 80k
2
votes
1
answer
821
views
Falcon Heavy first stage abilities
If you made a '2nd stage to orbit and return' vehicle capable of sitting atop the reusable Falcon Heavy 1st stage, how heavy could it be, and to what height and speed could the 1st stage push it in a ...
- 1,532
14
votes
2
answers
1k
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Falcon 9R as SSTO
Seeing as the Falcon 9R first stage is close to being reusable, could it be the basis for an SSTO rocket? In other words, does it have enough performance to make it into orbit, and then boost back and ...
- 575
1
vote
0
answers
88
views
Why is there only a small difference between Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch prices? [duplicate]
SpaceX's website says that a Falcon 9 launch costs 61 million while a Falcon Heavy launch 85 million. Considering that the Falcon Heavy is almost three times bigger than the Falcon 9, I don't ...
- 987
5
votes
2
answers
468
views
Could current (+SLS+FH) launchers use much larger diameter payload fairings?
Can launchers reasonably be equipped with wider payload fairings in order to carry larger (not heavier) payload? What would be the main problems with doing so, air resistance during the early slow ...
- 27k
8
votes
2
answers
2k
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Questions regarding Falcon Heavy's crossfeed system
My understanding of the Falcon Heavy cross feed system is that the outer cores feed six of the nine engines directly on the center core. Thus, the cross feeds don't pump propellent and oxidizer into ...
- 10.1k
15
votes
2
answers
3k
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What makes Falcon Heavy with 3 booster 4 times more capable than single booster F9?
Falcon Heavy is expected to take 4 times more mass to LEO than Falcon 9 (53 instead of 13 tons). Are bigger rockets generally about 4/3 times more capable per fuel mass and engine thrust? It doesn't ...
- 27k
17
votes
3
answers
8k
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Why is there so little price difference between the Falcon 9 and the Falcon Heavy?
A Falcon 9 costs 61.2M dollars.
A Falcon Heavy (1 Falcon 9 + 2 boosters) costs 85M dollars.
That means 1 booster of the Falcon Heavy costs only 11.9M dollars.
So, why does a Falcon 9 (9 Merlin 1D + ...
- 173
18
votes
3
answers
3k
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What missions could be done with Orion on Falcon Heavy?
Orion is being developed in tandem with the SLS. But Falcon Heavy is scheduled to fly earlier, early 2015, and be cheaper. So I wonder what kind of missions Orion could do with FH. Could it for ...
- 27k
11
votes
2
answers
4k
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What is the planned date for the Falcon Heavy Demo launch from Vandenberg AFB?
According to Wikipedia and SpaceX, this demo flight is scheduled for 2014. A group of us from San Diego want to come and watch the launch from a distance. Is there any scheduled date for the launch? ...
- 113
11
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3
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9k
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What are the consequences of Vertical vs Horizontal integration for SpaceX?
One of the issues the Air Force has with using SpaceX as a launch provider is that their payloads are designed for vertical integration. That is, the booster stands on the pad upright, and the ...
- 80k
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What are the differences between the Falcon 9 (1.0) and the Falcon 9 (1.1 or F9R)?
With the change at the 6th launch from the original Falcon 9 design for the first five launches, to the new design, either called Falcon 9 v1.1 or Falcon 9R, it would be useful to understand the ...
- 80k