SpaceX MCT (Super Heavy Launcher)

AugustusMinimus

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned on here yet.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/spacex-aims-big-with-massive-new-rocket-377687/

200 mt would be absolutely enormous. Would dwarf Saturn 5, Energia or even the previously proposed Ares 5 and SLS.

Is Musk thinking that if he develops a cheaper launcher than SLS, then NASA will be forced to run with the MCT ? I can't see much use for this rocket outside of NASA usage.

Another thing being mentioned is if a reusable version of this rocket will be developed based on Grasshopper technology. If so, payload would be significantly reduced, but it could absolutely slash costs of putting say 120 mt into LEO.

Rubecula

That is going to be a real beast of a rocket. I can't wait to see if it gets off the ground (metaphorically speaking)

nokia69

we are a long way away from this rocket, work won't start on it until the falcon 9 is 100% reuseable

then spaceX will design an engine larger than the Saturn V F1

9 of these new F1 sized motors would be lift more than 200 mts to LEO, and a falcon heavy style rocket with cross feeding between cores is the rocket that will send people to mars

it looks like all future spaceX rockets will be methane powered, the new falcon 9 upper stage will use methane

AugustusMinimus

I think I read on NASASpaceFlight that design of the Merlin 2 engine will commence prob within a year. People guessing at 2020 or 2021 before this new rocket could become operational. Best case scenario I presume.

nokia69

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

I think I read on NASASpaceFlight that design of the Merlin 2 engine will commence prob within a year. People guessing at 2020 or 2021 before this new rocket could become operational. Best case scenario I presume.

they need to finish the Raptor engine first, I think the Merlin 2 could be a scaled up raptor, methane powered staged combustion

Musk has said that if NASA or someone else gave spaceX 2 billion he could deliver a heavy lift in a few years, a great deal when you look at how much the SLS is costing, and how long its taking to develop

AugustusMinimus

I simply can't work out why the SLS is costing so much or taking so long to develop.

I wouldn't mind but NASA would be using a lot of shuttle derived parts for the SLS where SpaceX would have to develop new engines etc.

namloc1980

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

I simply can't work out why the SLS is costing so much or taking so long to develop.

I wouldn't mind but NASA would be using a lot of shuttle derived parts for the SLS where SpaceX would have to develop new engines etc.

It's a government programme, which are always vastly more expensive than what a private run programme is.

AugustusMinimus

namloc1980 wrote: »

It's a government programme, which are always vastly more expensive than what a private run programme is.

But why ? In the end its just R&D a lot of which is being done by private companies.

nokia69

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

But why ? In the end its just R&D a lot of which is being done by private companies.

politics, money and jobs

NASA could have sent people to Mars years ago were it not for politicians getting in the way, it was clear to most people that the shuttle was a joke but it went on for years because of the money and jobs involved in the program

the SLS will be a great rocket but it needs very little R&D and the amount of money being wasted on it is a joke, and the way things are going in the US there is even a chance it will never reach the pad

one of the missions for the SLS is to send people around the moon and back to earth, it would not be hard for spaceX to do the same with a falcon heavy and a dragon, but they could do it for a fraction of the cost

Tomk1

nokia69 wrote: »

politics, money and jobs

NASA could have sent people to Mars years ago were it not for politicians getting in the way, it was clear to most people that the shuttle was a joke but it went on for years because of the money and jobs involved in the program

the SLS will be a great rocket but it needs very little R&D and the amount of money being wasted on it is a joke, and the way things are going in the US there is even a chance it will never reach the pad

one of the missions for the SLS is to send people around the moon and back to earth, it would not be hard for spaceX to do the same with a falcon heavy and a dragon, but they could do it for a fraction of the cost

Agree, but not just politics there's always been military interests as nasa being treated as a part of the US airforce, imo nasa should of had from the onset a commercial division completly seperate from the government interests, with the primary function of making a profit, in that way if nasa wanted to lauch a craft, they say to the commercial side what they wanted and how much, in the case of the Shuttle the answer may have been that's not viable.

I'm surprised nasa are developing SLS, should hand it over to the commercial sector and concentrate purely on missions.

thecommander

Tomk1 wrote: »

I'm surprised nasa are developing SLS, should hand it over to the commercial sector and concentrate purely on missions.

I think that's what they'll end up doing. Mission only with a launch company that gives the best ($) deal/delivery. Whoever takes over the next presidency wont have a NASA driven launch program held over them, so they just go with best price & fastest time, and try to do it within 4 years. Since I've been a kid, Mars has alway been 20-30 years away (I'm 30+), and it seems with NASA now it'll be another 20-30 years, but I'd love someone to take over with a program and say that they have the technology to do it, or at least working towards it in the next 10 years.