Arianespace's launcher family – composed of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, medium-lift Soyuz and lightweight Vega – provides performance and flexibility that enables the company to meet its motto: "any mass, to any orbit...anytime."All three vehicles will operate side-by-side at the Spaceport in French Guiana, the world's only dedicated commercial launch site, and are supported by Arianespace's experienced teams.
Quote from: upjin on 06/11/2010 06:53 pmYou brought up a good point, that should not be ignored.SpaceX's president appears to have every intention to go forward with the Falcon 9 Heavy. She clearly makes the case of launching 2 big satellites at the same time and how this is cost effective and reduces cost.Ariane 6 is going back to a single launcher this point overrides Shotwell. It clearly shows launching 2 big satellites at the same time is not cost effective and reduces cost.
You brought up a good point, that should not be ignored.SpaceX's president appears to have every intention to go forward with the Falcon 9 Heavy. She clearly makes the case of launching 2 big satellites at the same time and how this is cost effective and reduces cost.
SpaceX and their decisions and rockets (dual satellite launching, F9 Heavy, Merlin2) could have took the majority of the market.
Quote from: Jim on 06/11/2010 08:50 pmd. spacecraft requirements are partially responsible for the demise of dual manifesting. More and more spacecraft are becoming incapable with others.What kind of problems? Also do you know if Ariane 5 payload capability was driven by Hermes needs or dual manifesting was planned for from the beginning?
d. spacecraft requirements are partially responsible for the demise of dual manifesting. More and more spacecraft are becoming incapable with others.
You've repeated this many times, but SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell stressed how important a 30 mT LEO / 18 mT GTO launcher would be for dual commercial payloads
Quote from: Dave G on 06/11/2010 05:03 pmYou've repeated this many times, but SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell stressed how important a 30 mT LEO / 18 mT GTO launcher would be for dual commercial payloads 30 mT is medium lift.Sometimes definitions are important.
The comsats have yet to break the 7 mT barrier
2) Elon Musk mentioned that SpaceX is in discussions with NASA for a ~100 mT class vehicle that would launch from pad 39 using some sort of public/private partnership.
Quote from: Dave G on 06/12/2010 02:37 am 2) Elon Musk mentioned that SpaceX is in discussions with NASA for a ~100 mT class vehicle that would launch from pad 39 using some sort of public/private partnership.No, everybody is in discussion with NASA. It is the HLV RFI. Spacex is just one of many contractors. They have no advantage here.
Quote from: A_M_Swallow on 06/12/2010 12:13 amQuote from: Dave G on 06/11/2010 05:03 pmYou've repeated this many times, but SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell stressed how important a 30 mT LEO / 18 mT GTO launcher would be for dual commercial payloads 30 mT is medium lift.Sometimes definitions are important.Shuttle has been referred to as a heavy lift launcher, which is about 30 mT payload. With comsats not exceeding 7 mT, and they are about the biggest commercial payload there is, how is 30 mT not in the HLV class? If 100mT is the definition of HLV, the number of HLV payloads in the last half century can fit on two hands.
(WARNING! Non-engineer questions to follow)What are the week points of the following strategic plan:1. Develope a single core one/five engine vehicle that has the lift to cover most or all of the existing "large end of the specrum" market. (How big would that engine be? How big of an engine would a single core/single engine configuration be for this class of launch vehicle?)2. Design all of your launch suporting structures to handle the obvious "heavy" version (versions?) that would be built IF the need should come along?
Quote from: A_M_Swallow on 06/12/2010 12:13 amQuote from: Dave G on 06/11/2010 05:03 pmYou've repeated this many times, but SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell stressed how important a 30 mT LEO / 18 mT GTO launcher would be for dual commercial payloads 30 mT is medium lift.Sometimes definitions are important.20mt to LEO is defined as sufficient to be deemed "a heavy lift launch vehicle" according to Arianespace (http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2010/681.asp), ESA (http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=31287), ILS (http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/03/live-ils-proton-m-launch-echostar-xiv-satellite/), the Augustine Committee, the DoT (http://www.fas.org/spp/guide/usa/launch/sr_97_4q.pdf) etc.
President Abraham Lincoln asked a questioner how many legs would a dog have, if we called the dog’s tail, a leg. “Five,” the questioner responds confident in his mathematical ability to do simple addition. “No,” Lincoln says. “Calling a dog’s tail a leg, doesn’t make it a leg.”