Questions tagged [spacex]
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, is a private space exploration company. It was the world's first privately held company to successfully launch a cargo mission into space , cargo to the ISS (International Space Station), land and reuse a booster, and a crewed mission into orbit. See the wiki for related tags.
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SpaceX's 4,425 satellite constellation - what's the method to the madness?
The BBC article SpaceX aims to launch internet from space discusses the SpaceX proposal for a dense array of over 4,000 LEO satellites for global internet coverage, and links to SpaceX non-...
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How can the reusable Falcon 9 succeed when the reusable Space Shuttle failed?
Space Shuttle was designed to be partially reusable but was later shut down because it turned out to be very expensive to run compared to disposable spacecraft.
Now Falcon 9 is suddenly reusable to a ...
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How can a 9-engine Falcon rocket be cheaper than single engine rockets?
From what I understand, the engine is usually the most expensive part of each rocket, excluding payload.
I'm struggling to understand how SpaceX can have one of the cheapest launchers on the market ...
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Why was the SpaceX abort test not initiated by real booster failure?
Today (2020-01-19) SpaceX had a successful flight abort test. As far as I can understand, at a specific altitude, Crew Dragon fired its engines and escaped from the rocket.
This test looks like a ...
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Now that they can land a Falcon 9, what will they do with it?
As most of you, I am super stoked by the amazing success of SpaceX with their Falcon 9 first stage landing back on land!
We also know that they have a huge backlog (over 50 flights) and are building ...
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Why are Falcon 9 main engines throttled down and up shortly after launch?
On the official webcast of SpaceX's Iridium-4 mission a "throttle down and throttle back up of the Falcon 9 first stage engines" is mentioned. Why would one throttle down at a crucial time ...
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How does SPACEX capture such images?
I was watching Today's launch test by SpaceX and had a question pertaining to the method used for imagery of objects mid-air! Other than on-board cameras, what techniques do NASA and SpaceX follows ...
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How will SpaceX Starship deploy its payload?
Most modern orbital launchers like the SpaceX Falcon9 have their payload at the front covered by a fairing which splits in half, ejecting the fairings and exposing the payload for deployment.
With ...
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What makes the Merlin vacuum engine so deeply throttleable?
According to the October 2015 revision of the Falcon 9 User's Guide, the Falcon 9's first stage Merlin 1D engines have a 70%-100% throttle range, while the second stage Merlin 1D Vac engine has a 38.5%...
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What are these green text/line displays shown during the livestream of Crew Dragon's approach to dock with the ISS?
During the livestream of Crew Dragon's approach to docking, at 6:24 a laptop display is shown with lots of green text and a camera view of the International Space Station. What's going on?
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Why did SpaceX retire Falcon 1?
Why did SpaceX retire Falcon 1? Wouldn't it have been more cost effective then Falcon 9 for lighter missions?
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Why are Starship landings so difficult when SpaceX has landed so many boosters?
Per Wikipedia, SpaceX has landed boosters successfully 79 out of 90 times.
Yet Starships seem to be reliably exploding upon landing.
What is so different about the two that Starships are so much more ...
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Why did SpaceX choose to use Hydrazine over newer "green" propellants for Dragon 2?
Firstly, I understand the need to use hypergolics over cryogenics as part of Dragon 2's abort and landing sequence - they provide "instant on" thrust and are throttlable with very wide ...
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Does anyone who works at SpaceX know the paths of classified payloads?
As SpaceX has launched both NROL-76 and OTV-5, does anyone at SpaceX know the trajectory of the vehicle, or is the falcon upper stage under the direct control of the Air Force?
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Would this chair support astronaut during launch in Crew Dragon
Recently reporters were allowed to take pictures of Crew Dragon and the SpaceX flight suit. Among them is this picture:
I was under the impression that:
Chairs needed to be custom molded / adjusted ...