SpaceX updates: news from Royal Society speech

[Dr Mordrid]

Specs for the next-gen Falcon 9 v. 1.1 and Falcon Heavy are in.

Merlin 1D

(Current Merlin 1C: 95,000 lbf & 125,000 lbf)

Merlin 1D sea level thrust: 147,000 lbf (1st stage)
Merlin 1D sea level ISP: 282 seconds
Merlin 1DVac vacuum thrust: 161,000 lbf (second stage)
Merlin 1DVac vacuum ISP: 311 seconds

Falcon 9 v. 1.1

(Falcon 9 1.0: 47.85 m / 157 ft w/Dragon)

Overall length: 69.2 m (227 ft)
Width: 3.6 m (12 ft)
Engines: 9x Merlin 1D + 1x Merlin 1DVac
Total thrust (sea level): 5.88 MN (1,320,000 lbf)

Mass to Low Earth Orbit (LEO): 13,150 kg (29,000 lb)
Mass to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO): 4,850 kg (10,692 lb)

Falcon Heavy

Overall length: 69.2 m (227 ft)
Width: 3.6 m (12 ft) x 11.6 m (38 ft)
Engines: 27x Merlin 1D + 1x Merlin 1DVac
Total thrust: 17 MN (3,800,000 lbf)

Mass to Low Earth Orbit (LEO): 53,000 kg (117,000 lb)
Mass to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO): 12,000 kg (26,460 lb)

Rumored (strongly): an advanced staged combustion engine that could increase the above payloads significantly.

Dragon will be available with 2 sizes of cargo trunk; the existing 2.3 meter long version and a 4.3 meter long version for larger unpressurized cargo.

Falcon 9 v. 1.0 is the one used for flight 3, the last ISS mission. The F9 v. 1.1 goes live with flight 6, and will be used for both cargo and the DragonRider crewed flights. It also serves as the core stage for Falcon Heavy, and its first stage is used as the side boosters for FH.

Falcon Heavy will come in 2 configurations: one using fuel / liquid oxygen cross-feed and one not.

When using cross-feed extra fuel and liquid oxygen are pumped from the side boosters into the core stage so that when the side boosters separate the core stage has full tanks, increasing the mass to orbit. Technically, this makes Falcon Heavy a 2.5 stage rocket. Non-cross-feed would be used for smaller than max payloads and will be cheaper.

SpaceX has signed a major deal with Intelsat, the worlds largest operator of communications satellites, to launch large satellites on the Falcon Heavy.

They have also signed a deal with SpaceFlight Services to provide secondary, micro and mini satellite launches. Their deployment bus will be mounted on top of the second stage, then after the main payload (ex: Dragon or a large satellite) is deployed the second stage will re-light to put the other payloads into their orbits.

SpaceFlight Services will also handle payloads for the DragonLab free-flying experiment platform - an uncrewed robotic Dragon capable of 2 year science etc. missions. This will open up long term ISS-style microgravity research to universities, companies & governments who can't get ISS time.

DragonLab PDF....

SpaceFlight Services payload bus


Falcon variants

[Dr Mordrid]

ISS Resupply mission #1 (CRS-1)

September 28: Dragon (SpX-1) launch
September 30: Dragon (SpX-1) capture and berthing (to Harmony nadir) by SSRMS
October 30: Dragon (SpX-1) unberthing (from Harmony nadir), release by SSRMS and landing

ISS Resupply mission #2 (CRS-2)

NET December 15

[Dr Mordrid]

Cool

http://blog.chron.co...-for-spaceport/

Musk says Texas is “leading candidate” for spaceport

Texas is apparently stepping up its space game.

Today Elon Musk met with reporters at SpaceX’s rocket-testing operation in MacGregor and said Brownsville is the company’s leading candidate for a spaceport.

I wanted to attend the press availability but I am still enmeshed in reporting on the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute and the controversial University of Texas M.D. Anderson grant. Expect another story within the next few days.

In any case, according to SpaceX's Kirstin Borst, here's exactly what Musk said about the Texas site:

So, right now, Texas, the south coast of Texas is the lead candidate for that third launch site, and actually flying to meet with the Governor later today and a number of people on the Texas legislature side to talk about that as well as any potential questions in the future about flying astronauts if we're successful in winning future NASA business in that regard.

In regard to the Musk statement, if Texas truly is the leading candidate this is really big news. It represents a significant turnaround in his view since April, when he told me the state wasn't doing much to court his company.

Getting a spaceport in Texas would be huge for the state because it gets us into the rocket launching game. This is important moving forward as Florida has been seeking to get into the astronaut and flight control roles, which heretofore have been what Texas has done.

And having SpaceX build the spaceport, with its track record of successful launches, just makes it that much better.

Also, a major press conference is slated for tomorrow (Thursday June 14), with expectations being they will announce the $1.6 billion NASA-SpaceX ISS resupply contract is going live. Perhaps more.
.

MEDIA ADVISORY: 12-200

NASA ADMINISTRATOR BOLDEN VIEWS HISTORIC SPACEX DRAGON CAPSULE

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden joined SpaceX CEO and
Chief Designer Elon Musk at the SpaceX Rocket Development Facility in
McGregor, Texas, Wednesday to see the first commercial space capsule
to complete a mission to the International Space Station.

Bolden and Musk also thanked the more than 150 SpaceX employees
working at the McGregor facility for their role in the historic
mission. SpaceX's Dragon capsule made history May 31 when it returned
to Earth after delivering supplies to the space station.

"The Dragon capsule is a tangible example of the new era
of exploration unfolding right now," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
said. "Commercial space is becoming a reality as SpaceX looks ahead
to future missions to the space station and other destinations. All
of NASA's partners in the commercial crew and cargo programs continue
to meet milestones designing the next generation of innovative U.S.
spacecraft destined for low Earth orbit. In addition, NASA centers
across the country are making exciting progress on the vehicles that
will take astronauts to farther destinations like an asteroid and
Mars. I congratulate Elon Musk and the SpaceX team again for this
historic milestone."

While on-site, Bolden had the opportunity to view some of the 1,367
pounds of cargo the spacecraft returned to Earth from the space
station. Dragon is the only spacecraft capable of returning a
significant quantity of science experiments and cargo from the
station. Experiments will be given back to researchers hoping to gain
new insights provided by the station's unique microgravity
environment. The cargo was transferred to NASA June 13 and will be
taken to the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston for further
processing.

Dragon's journey to the station was SpaceX's second demonstration
mission under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
Program (COTS), which provides investments intended to lead to
regular resupply missions to the International Space Station and
stimulate the commercial space industry in the United States. The
mission began May 22 as the capsule launched from Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. After its
maneuverability and abort systems were tested, crew members of
Expedition 31 aboard the station grappled the capsule and berthed it
to the orbiting laboratory.

Dragon, its exterior scorched by the heat of re-entry, splashed down
in the Pacific Ocean May 31. SpaceX recovered the capsule immediately
and transported it to McGregor, where engineers unloaded cargo and
removed hazardous materials. Dragon will be shipped to SpaceX
Headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., later this year.

On Thursday, Bolden and Musk will be at SpaceX Headquarters and speak
with reporters at 9 a.m. PDT. They will see the Dragon spacecraft
that flew the first COTS demonstration mission in December 2010,
during which SpaceX became the first private company to recover a
spacecraft after it orbited Earth. They also will see a prototype
Dragon spacecraft being designed to carry astronauts to the space
station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Media representatives wishing to attend Thursday's event should email
media@SpaceX.com for information on access to the facilities.

Images of Bolden and Musk with the Dragon capsule in McGregor are
available at:

http://go.nasa.gov/Ku00nJ

and

http://go.nasa.gov/Ku0Ctq

For more information about NASA's COTS Program and SpaceX, visit:

http://www.spacex.com

For more information about Administrator Bolden, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/...bolden_bio.html

[Dr Mordrid]

NASA administrator Gen. Charles Bolden visited Hawthorn today. Note they have the 2010 1st Dragon and the DragonRider evaluation unit. Attendees at the recent Mars conference hinted strongly that the SuperDraco thrusters in those "noses" will be throttleable between 5% and 100%, an outstanding range for a rocket engine of its capability.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1206/14bolden/

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden visited SpaceX Headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., Thursday, capping a tour of SpaceX facilities to thank employees for their part in making the first mission by a private company to the International Space Station a success.Â*

Bolden and SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk addressed more than 1,000 employees who helped design, launch and safely recover the company's Dragon capsule in May following its trip to the space station.Â*

"NASA has its sights set on reaching an asteroid and Mars and commercial space companies like SpaceX are helping make that possible by taking over the challenging transportation of cargo to low Earth orbit," Bolden said. "The International Space Station is the key to our human spaceflight efforts right now and SpaceX's successful resupply demonstration mission helped ensure it can achieve its full potential. We look forward to Dragon becoming a regular visitor to the station."Â*

While on-site, Bolden had an opportunity to see the first Dragon spacecraft to be recovered by the company in December 2010, following a demonstration mission to orbit and safely return a capsule.

[Dr Mordrid]

SuperDraco firing on its new vertical test stand.

Best guesses are that the nozzle is about 8" and the chamber about 12" x 14", producing about 24,000 lbf of thrust each. It also seems to have an active cooling system for the throat & nozzle. And to think that DragonRider will have eight of these suckers.

https://twitter.com/...831794103664640

Just fired our Superdraco escape rocket engine at full thrust! Needed to carry astronauts on Dragon

[Dr Mordrid]

From Elon's Royal Aeronautical Society award speech -

Not worried about CRS-1/SpX-1 engine anomaly.

Expect to launch 4-5 missions in 2013 and very confident about ramping up manufacture.

Dragon 2 will be unveiled soon (rumors abound - just crew Dragon?)

Dragon would be useful as a general science spacecraft able to land, for anywhere in the Solar System

Longer term Dragon could be sold to 3rd parties to operate - in an airline-style model

Raptor will be a new staged combustion (SC) engine using methane/oxygen, in active development. ISP of 380 seconds

MCT is not an engine development, announcement 2013.

Next goal for SpaceX - resuability - reduce cost of rocket flight from $60m to $60,000.

SpaceX will test partial resuability of rocket next year, see full resuability in 5/6 years time.

Prefers Big Smart Booster, turbopumps are a good thing, pressure fed not sufficient for deep space.

Definitely need a new engine for going to Mars.

Hyperloop documentation later this year. Advanced very high-speed solar-electric long distance train that runs in a vacuum tube.