One question, why can't a composite solid be reused? Does it burn when the fuel burns to the sides?
I didn't know what type of Filament they use, glass, composite? Some of this composite material is flammable. Some maybe not. Fiberglass can melt with heat. Maybe the inside of the casings are lined with a thin layer of steel or a ceramic material to avoid flame from the remaining burning fuel.
The Filament-wound cases developed so the Shuttle could launch into a polar orbit from Vandenberg AFB were intend for reuse.
Yes, I did know they burned from the inside out, that is why I mentioned as the fuel burned out, would the composite burn itself out when the fuel reached the walls, or melt them, thus expendable.
We say rockets aren't legos, but clearly nobody told Orbital ATK. This is a chimera of everyspace.What performance benefits could this stand to have over the other, possibly significantly cheaper LVs that might be around in the foreseeable future?
I thought Orbital bought out Rocketdyne or Aerojet, one of which made the RL-10.
Quote from: wolfpack on 04/22/2016 05:58 pmSounds like a bet that the economy of a throwaway booster made of composites and solid propellant beats a flyback liquid stage.If they are only launching 3-5 times a year, having no reuse and cheap solids that will also be used on SLS, with side-mounted boosters that will also be used on Vulcan, it starts to make very good sense why they aren't pursuing reuse for this design.
Sounds like a bet that the economy of a throwaway booster made of composites and solid propellant beats a flyback liquid stage.