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China has big plans for its massive new rocket
Researchers are developing a rocket that would be more powerful than any U.S. spacecraft, Chinese state media reported Monday. Phys.org reports that the Long March-9 rocket, set to be complete by 2030, would be capable of delivering 140 tons into low orbit.
NASA's upcoming Space Launch System, meanwhile, aims to deliver 130 tons, and the Falcon Heavy from SpaceX launched 64 tons toward Mars earlier this year. China is reportedly hoping to surpass its American and European competitors, planning to spend billions of dollars developing its space programs.
Full reusability for the Long March-9 is not mentioned.
As a point of comparison, the Saturn V rocket:
The Saturn V was launched 13 times from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with no loss of crew or payload. As of 2018, the Saturn V remains the tallest, heaviest, and most powerful (highest total impulse) rocket ever brought to operational status, and holds records for the heaviest payload launched and largest payload capacity to low Earth orbit (LEO) of 140,000 kg (310,000 lb), which included the third stage and unburned propellant needed to send the Apollo Command/Service Module and Lunar Module to the Moon.[5][6]
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(Score: 2) by frojack on Tuesday July 03 2018, @02:19AM (5 children)
Actually, BFR is expected to achieve 165 tons to LEO in its completed form. The 150 tons figure was to mars.
However, each of SpaceX's rockets has exceeded design specs by a significant margin, often at the expense of booster return.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday July 03 2018, @02:51AM (4 children)
The 165 number is new to me (source?). I heard that the rocket may grow in height and payload from its originally announced design, but I did not see a specific number.
150 tons is given for basically all BFR destinations with refueling. 150 tons to LEO, refuel in LEO with a BFR tanker, 150 tons to Mars, presumably landed. See sidebar here [wikipedia.org].
BFR was supposed to be able to lift 300 tons in expendable mode. At an estimated cost of $335 million, even this extremely wasteful approach would save money over SLS.
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(Score: 2) by frojack on Tuesday July 03 2018, @05:42AM (3 children)
Wikipedia. 330000 pounds payload to leo.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Touché) by bob_super on Tuesday July 03 2018, @06:47AM
When talking rockets, people usually talk in metric tons, not short tons.
Something something Mars orbit something...
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday July 03 2018, @07:40AM (1 child)
It's bog standard to describe the payload in metric tons, i.e. 1 ton = 1,000 kg. I've done so in every submission about rockets, and all the articles I see do it as well. So we are talking about the same rocket. However, the rumor mill suggests that payload could go up a few percent. BFR might be made taller simply to make it taller than SLS and get the tallest rocket in the world bragging rights (currently it's 106 meters for BFR, 111.25 meters for Space Launch System Block 2 Cargo, and 110.6 meters for the Saturn V). Cue the dick jokes.
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(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday July 03 2018, @04:29PM
> Cue the dick jokes.
Elon is compensating because he's also tunneling faster and at smaller diameter than others ?
Or is it because his sports cars are quiet, and all his battery-powered products have at most one speed ?
On the other hand, he's already the only one to stand upright at rest after delivering his payload, getting ready to go again soon...