Stratolaunch: General Company and Development Updates and Discussions

[HMXHMX]

Stratolaunch passes PDR:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/stratolaunch-carrier-aircraft-passes-preliminary-design-review-376466/

That's the a/c only.  What about the launch vehicle?

"Configuration of the rocket, built by SpaceX, has not yet been finalised. "

It is the "...built by SpaceX" part that is in question, in my view.

[Skyrocket]

Stratolaunch passes PDR:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/stratolaunch-carrier-aircraft-passes-preliminary-design-review-376466/

That's the a/c only.  What about the launch vehicle?

"Configuration of the rocket, built by SpaceX, has not yet been finalised. "

It is the "...built by SpaceX" part that is in question, in my view.

Why?

[sdsds]

Interestingly, the two 747s mentioned in the flightglobal article are registered to Scaled, not Stratolaunch. Which entity is going to own the carrier aircraft?

[HMXHMX]

Stratolaunch passes PDR:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/stratolaunch-carrier-aircraft-passes-preliminary-design-review-376466/

That's the a/c only.  What about the launch vehicle?

"Configuration of the rocket, built by SpaceX, has not yet been finalised. "

It is the "...built by SpaceX" part that is in question, in my view.

Why?

I have heard privately-sourced reports that SpaceX isn't currently working on the project. I don't know if this might be temporary or permanent.

[HIP2BSQRE]

Stratolaunch passes PDR:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/stratolaunch-carrier-aircraft-passes-preliminary-design-review-376466/

That's the a/c only.  What about the launch vehicle?

"Configuration of the rocket, built by SpaceX, has not yet been finalised. "

It is the "...built by SpaceX" part that is in question, in my view.

Why?

I have heard privately-sourced reports that SpaceX isn't currently working on the project. I don't know if this might be temporary or permanent.

Why might not Spacex not working on this project???

[tigerade]

Stratolaunch passes PDR:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/stratolaunch-carrier-aircraft-passes-preliminary-design-review-376466/

That's the a/c only.  What about the launch vehicle?

"Configuration of the rocket, built by SpaceX, has not yet been finalised. "

It is the "...built by SpaceX" part that is in question, in my view.

Why?

I have heard privately-sourced reports that SpaceX isn't currently working on the project. I don't know if this might be temporary or permanent.

Why might not Spacex not working on this project???

The most glaring response to this would likely be that they are waiting on the final numbers for the lifter.  No point in making the rocket if the lifting plane can't carry it.

[HMXHMX]

Stratolaunch passes PDR:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/stratolaunch-carrier-aircraft-passes-preliminary-design-review-376466/

That's the a/c only.  What about the launch vehicle?

"Configuration of the rocket, built by SpaceX, has not yet been finalised. "

It is the "...built by SpaceX" part that is in question, in my view.

Why?

I have heard privately-sourced reports that SpaceX isn't currently working on the project. I don't know if this might be temporary or permanent.

Why might not Spacex not working on this project???

The most glaring response to this would likely be that they are waiting on the final numbers for the lifter.  No point in making the rocket if the lifting plane can't carry it.

Purely speculation on my part, but I would say the reason is that it doesn't align with SpaceX's (or Elon's) long-term interests.  He has been very negative on air-launching, and they have a huge backlog to deal with if they are to be financially successful when it comes to commercial, versus government, launches.  Best to focus on that which moves your business plan forward, not someone else's.

[JohnFornaro]

Stratolaunch passes PDR:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/stratolaunch-carrier-aircraft-passes-preliminary-design-review-376466/

That's the a/c only.  What about the launch vehicle?

"Configuration of the rocket, built by SpaceX, has not yet been finalised. "

It is the "...built by SpaceX" part that is in question, in my view.

Why?

I have heard privately-sourced reports that SpaceX isn't currently working on the project. I don't know if this might be temporary or permanent.

Why might not Spacex not working on this project???

The most glaring response to this would likely be that they are waiting on the final numbers for the lifter.  No point in making the rocket if the lifting plane can't carry it.

Purely speculation on my part, but I would say the reason is that it doesn't align with SpaceX's (or Elon's) long-term interests.  He has been very negative on air-launching, and they have a huge backlog to deal with if they are to be financially successful when it comes to commercial, versus government, launches.  Best to focus on that which moves your business plan forward, not someone else's.

His business plan so far has only included rockets which launch straight up, not sideways.

[MP99]

I have heard privately-sourced reports that SpaceX isn't currently working on the project. I don't know if this might be temporary or permanent.

Why might not Spacex not working on this project???

The most glaring response to this would likely be that they are waiting on the final numbers for the lifter.  No point in making the rocket if the lifting plane can't carry it.

Purely speculation on my part, but I would say the reason is that it doesn't align with SpaceX's (or Elon's) long-term interests.  He has been very negative on air-launching, and they have a huge backlog to deal with if they are to be financially successful when it comes to commercial, versus government, launches.  Best to focus on that which moves your business plan forward, not someone else's.

Not disputing the point, but it also seems many of the elements that will be matured by their ground-launch business would be applicable to Stratolaunch. (Still lots that's unique to it, too.)

cheers, Martin

[aero]

I think this answer hits the nail on the head.

The most glaring response to this would likely be that they are waiting on the final numbers for the lifter.  No point in making the rocket if the lifting plane can't carry it.

Risk factors include more than just rocket mass, though. Altitude, velocity, release attitude, clearance requirements (physical and plume), ground operations requirements and other things that are better known as the carrier aircraft matures. Concurrent development is much more expensive. Waiting reduces the risk from unknown unknowns as well as known unknowns.

[simonbp]

Yeah, I've got the feeling Stratolaunch is focusing right now on their unique systems: the Scaled aircraft and the Dynetics release system. Allen and the other investors have plenty of funds to wait for that to be developed and flight tested before settling on a rocket.

IMHO, a derivative of TSC's LauncherOne is more likely than a Falcon derivative, but that's just speculation.

[e of pi]

IMHO, a derivative of TSC's LauncherOne is more likely than a Falcon derivative, but that's just speculation.

It's rather stretch the definition of derivative, I think--it'd be almost 60x the size, and share almost nothing except the concept of operations.

[tigerade]

Purely speculation on my part, but I would say the reason is that it doesn't align with SpaceX's (or Elon's) long-term interests.  He has been very negative on air-launching, and they have a huge backlog to deal with if they are to be financially successful when it comes to commercial, versus government, launches.  Best to focus on that which moves your business plan forward, not someone else's.

Well, even if SpaceX isn't a fan of air launching, it doesn't mean they won't make an air launched rocket if paid to do it.  I makes me thing of the chicken and the pig analogy.  In this case, Stratolaunch is the pig, and Dynetics, Scaled and SpaceX are chickens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chicken_and_the_Pig

[oldAtlas_Eguy]

Purely speculation on my part, but I would say the reason is that it doesn't align with SpaceX's (or Elon's) long-term interests.  He has been very negative on air-launching, and they have a huge backlog to deal with if they are to be financially successful when it comes to commercial, versus government, launches.  Best to focus on that which moves your business plan forward, not someone else's.

Well, even if SpaceX isn't a fan of air launching, it doesn't mean they won't make an air launched rocket if paid to do it.  I makes me thing of the chicken and the pig analogy.  In this case, Stratolaunch is the pig, and Dynetics, Scaled and SpaceX are chickens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chicken_and_the_Pig

So does that make us the rooster?

[tigerade]

So does that make us the rooster?

By extension, a rooster or gamecock, can be defined as a person who struts around offering uninformed, unhelpful opinions.

*laughs*  I suppose it does. 

[simonbp]

IMHO, a derivative of TSC's LauncherOne is more likely than a Falcon derivative, but that's just speculation.

It's rather stretch the definition of derivative, I think--it'd be almost 60x the size, and share almost nothing except the concept of operations.

Not necessarily; if you had a new, Scaled-built flyback first stage and then used a rocket based on LauncherOne (short/wider, but same engine and systems) as second stage, you could get a quite respectable payload to orbit. If the flyback stage used a cluster of the LauncherOne engines, that would further reduce the new development.

[billh]

SpaceX would probably prefer to not staff up the Stratolauncher project until development work on F9 v1.1 and FH are winding down. That timing may flange up well with availability of well-defined specs for the carrier aircraft.

[yg1968]

New pictures of the construction of thr hangar:
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2012/10/05/space-gooses-nest-grows-in-the-mojave/

[Comga]

The photographer has a sense of humor. The image file names all start with "birdzilla_hanger".     That's quite appropriate.

[Moe Grills]

   I've looked for a post on this thread regarding the possibility
of jettisoning the wings on the stratobooster after it has climbed
above 30 km (where air is negligible) and its wings become an unnecessary
and unwelcome weight addition. I couldn't find such a post.

   I'm ignoring the  issue of the reusability of the booster, since that
is another issue.
But I think for a throwaway booster (like the Pegasus for example), it might do.