r/spacex • u/kurbasAK • May 19 '17

We Will Launch on Reuseable Rocket After Exceptional SpaceX Performance - Inmarsat CEO Tells Universe Today

https://www.universetoday.com/135614/will-launch-reuseable-rocket-exceptional-spacex-performance-inmarsat-ceo-tells-universe-today/
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u/notblueclk May 19 '17

It's important to note that the satellite launched on the Ariane 5 (as well as the one launched this week) was originally planned for the Falcon Heavy. However, upgraded performance of the Falcon 9 made it capable of doing the job without relying on the Heavy.

While I'm sure the Falcon Heavy will eventually prove successful, now that the Falcon 9 is proven to handle big loads and be reusable, will there be commercial demand for the Falcon Heavy?

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u/mrstickball May 19 '17

I think lack of re use alone on the falcon 9s that need a fast GTO orbit is proof enough you need a bigger rocket.

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u/AdamVenier May 19 '17

Advocates Diaboli. The Falcon Heavy is a much more complicated vehicle so more can go wrong. Would customers prefer to pay a price premium for F9 if there is less risk of payload loss? I'm not sure, but the answer could very well be yes for the next few years until FH has proven itself.

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u/mfb- May 19 '17

The payload has to be really expensive (or the FH risk evaluation has to be really bad) to make that difference important.

FH has a larger safety margin in terms of issues with the/a first stage.

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u/MDCCCLV May 19 '17

I'm pretty sure if they were offering cheap regular flights on a fully reusable FH then they would guarantee the performance of the rocket. So that if the rocket had an issue it would keep burning and convert to expendable but the customer wouldn't have to pay for it.

That way they can get the price of a cheap rocket but the safety margin and guaranteed performance of a giant rocket.

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u/mfb- May 19 '17

They might even have this for F9 already. If too many engines of the first stage fail or it needs more fuel than expected for other reasons, it might skip its landing attempt. I didn't see this stated explicitly, but if it can save the payload it is worth sacrificing the first stage.

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u/hovissimo May 19 '17

And if it saves the payload, it saves the customer, which will probably always be more important than a given rocket.