I think what ULA is working on with ACES and IVF will be better suited for
on-orbit reuse than what SpaceX is *currently* doing in the upper stage
realm. Just two fluids that need replenishment, autogenous pressurization,
rechargable batteries, insulation that can last months or years, and
experience with most of the hardware needed for refueling an upper stage...
How much SpaceX will be able to close that gap between now and when ACES
actually flies is an open question though.
~Jon
On Tue, Dec 29, 2015 at 10:48 AM, Derek Lyons <fairwater@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Dec 29, 2015 9:03 AM, "Steve Traugott" <stevegt@xxxxxxx> wrote:
and guidance structure up to orbital velocity and then throw all that
I'm going with some version of that. It makes less sense to get a tank
energy away if there's a demand for the hardware on orbit. The trick is
going to be creating that demand.
The trick is going to be spending the money to fly upper stages that will
be in demand well in advance of the existence of any demand.
Current generation upper stages will likely never be in demand because
they're just so much junk within a few hours of launch... They have no
long term power supply. Their tank insulation isn't rated for long life on
orbit. They have no fittings for scavenging unused propellant or for
refueling. Their payload connections are one-shot. Etc... Etc...
Changing that isn't going to be cheap, and convincing the paying
passengers to pay for capacity they don't need won't be easy.
D.