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SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,428

Re: Cheap heavy launcher - can it be done at all

topic shifting facts fixed

From this topics start in 2004 were are still at the puzzles issue to solve which are:
1 cost for payload which may include reusability
2 parts and pieces to satisfy each leg of a mission
3 repetition of flight capability for mission goals

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: Cheap heavy launcher - can it be done at all

SLS NASA - Boeing
https://twitter.com/BoeingSpace/status/ … 7360674823
Missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond, within reach:
in its next configuration, Block 1B, will have 45 metric tons of powerful lift to Trans-Lunar Injection with the Exploration Upper Stage

NASA administrator Bill Nelson supports $10B boost for moon landing
https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2021/0 … 622144320/

Cost and schedule overruns continue to grow for NASA programs
https://spacenews.com/cost-and-schedule … -programs/
The cumulative cost overrun of 20 major programs in development, defined as those with total costs of at least $250 million, grew to more than $9.6 billion in the report. Three programs — the James Webb Space Telescope, Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System — account for $8 billion of that total, including $4.4 billion for JWST alone.

NASA Fires Up the Massive RS-25 Rocket Engine in Test for Future Artemis Moon Missions
https://scitechdaily.com/nasa-fires-up- … -missions/

NASA administrator unveils $24.8 billion 2022 budget request
https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/05/28/n … t-request/
The $6.88 billion for deep space exploration includes $4.48 billion to cover continued development of the Space Launch System — SLS — super heavy lift rocket and a planned upgrade, the Orion crew capsule that will carry astronauts to the moon and the required ground systems.

Musk - 2024 is not out of the question for an uncrewed flight
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1390386652007251970

NASA now has heavy lift and currently to update the thread with recent news I believe its a contest between Musk and China with Musk leading.

Elon Musk on the 2024 lunar landing date: "I think that can be done. We’re definitely going to build a lot of rockets, and probably smash a lot of them. But I think 2024 will happen. It seems likely. We’re going to aim for sooner than that. This is actually doable."https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1385566659654549510

Here were the news reports on the Chinese Heavy

China has officially approved the development of a super heavy lift rocket, named the Long March 9, or CZ-9 vehicle.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02 … comments=1
According to Chinese officials, the country will target the year 2030 for a debut launch. The rocket is planned to have a lift capacity of 140 metric tons, with the capability of sending 50 or more tons into lunar orbit.

https://spacenews.com/china-reveals-det … 8-rockets/
'The Long March 9 will be a Saturn 5-class super-heavy-lift rocket comparable in capacity to the Space Launch System currently being developed under NASA.
According to Long, the Long March 9 will be capable of lifting 140 metric tons to low Earth orbit, 50 tons to Earth-Moon transfer orbit, and 44 tons to Earth-Mars transfer orbit.
The 93-meter-high Long March 9 is expected to have a launch mass of over 4,000 metric tons, producing close to 6,000 tons of thrust.'

Musk says he's "highly confident" Starship will be ready for this flight in 2023.
https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/ … 2264434695

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: Cheap heavy launcher - can it be done at all

Elon Musk: SpaceX needs to build Starships as often as Boeing builds 737s
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/01/e … ilds-737s/

NASA’s Engineering Marvel: Preparing the Gateway to the Moon
https://scitechdaily.com/nasas-engineer … -the-moon/

the sea

Tried with the Zenit-3SL, LP Odyssey is a self-propelled semi-submersible mobile spacecraft launch platform. Sea Launch was a multinational—Norway, Russia, Ukraine, United States—spacecraft launch company founded.

China advances space capabilities with Long March 11 Sea Launch
https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Chin … h_999.html

This successful launch represents more than just another addition to China's record of space achievements; it demonstrates the country's ongoing commitment to exploring and utilizing space technologies. The usage of sea-based launch platforms, like the one employed for this mission, highlights China's innovative approach to overcoming geographical and logistical challenges in space exploration. These platforms not only offer flexibility in choosing launch trajectories but also reduce the need for extensive ground infrastructure, presenting a cost-effective solution for space launches.