ARCA

[Mandella]

What's eco (ecological?) about it?

To be a little more serious about it, the first two stages are (purportedly) reusable, and they are steam powered. The third stage, however, is a regular chemical rocket, although I don't remember (and can't be bothered to look up right now) if it is hydrolox or kerolox or unicorn poots.

So, ECO!!

[russianhalo117]

What's eco (ecological?) about it?

To be a little more serious about it, the first two stages are (purportedly) reusable, and they are steam powered. The third stage, however, is a regular chemical rocket, although I don't remember (and can't be bothered to look up right now) if it is hydrolox or kerolox or unicorn poots.

So, ECO!!

Note that even steam damages the ozone layer so only in that one case it is not ecological. Scott Manley has video on the topic if someone wants to find it. It has a cryptic title.

[meekGee]

What's eco (ecological?) about it?

To be a little more serious about it, the first two stages are (purportedly) reusable, and they are steam powered. The third stage, however, is a regular chemical rocket, although I don't remember (and can't be bothered to look up right now) if it is hydrolox or kerolox or unicorn poots.

So, ECO!!

Note that even steam damages the ozone layer so only in that one case it is not ecological. Scott Manley has video on the topic if someone wants to find it. It has a cryptic title.

Simple solution: launch through the ozone hole!

[daedalus1]

What's eco (ecological?) about it?

To be a little more serious about it, the first two stages are (purportedly) reusable, and they are steam powered. The third stage, however, is a regular chemical rocket, although I don't remember (and can't be bothered to look up right now) if it is hydrolox or kerolox or unicorn poots.

So, ECO!!

Note that even steam damages the ozone layer so only in that one case it is not ecological. Scott Manley has video on the topic if someone wants to find it. It has a cryptic title.

Simple solution: launch through the ozone hole!

How is steam made. Surely heat (energy) is required, how is the energy produced?

[russianhalo117]

What's eco (ecological?) about it?

To be a little more serious about it, the first two stages are (purportedly) reusable, and they are steam powered. The third stage, however, is a regular chemical rocket, although I don't remember (and can't be bothered to look up right now) if it is hydrolox or kerolox or unicorn poots.

So, ECO!!

Note that even steam damages the ozone layer so only in that one case it is not ecological. Scott Manley has video on the topic if someone wants to find it. It has a cryptic title.

Simple solution: launch through the ozone hole!

How is steam made. Surely heat (energy) is required, how is the energy produced?

Also discussed in a Scott Manley video about ARCA. The water is run through a catalyst.

[daedalus1]

What's eco (ecological?) about it?

To be a little more serious about it, the first two stages are (purportedly) reusable, and they are steam powered. The third stage, however, is a regular chemical rocket, although I don't remember (and can't be bothered to look up right now) if it is hydrolox or kerolox or unicorn poots.

So, ECO!!

Note that even steam damages the ozone layer so only in that one case it is not ecological. Scott Manley has video on the topic if someone wants to find it. It has a cryptic title.

Simple solution: launch through the ozone hole!

How is steam made. Surely heat (energy) is required, how is the energy produced?

Also discussed in a Scott Manley video about ARCA. The water is run through a catalyst.

Can't find Scott's video. But you can't turn water to steam with a catalyst, you have to add large amounts of energy.

[russianhalo117]

What's eco (ecological?) about it?

To be a little more serious about it, the first two stages are (purportedly) reusable, and they are steam powered. The third stage, however, is a regular chemical rocket, although I don't remember (and can't be bothered to look up right now) if it is hydrolox or kerolox or unicorn poots.

So, ECO!!

Note that even steam damages the ozone layer so only in that one case it is not ecological. Scott Manley has video on the topic if someone wants to find it. It has a cryptic title.

Simple solution: launch through the ozone hole!

How is steam made. Surely heat (energy) is required, how is the energy produced?

Also discussed in a Scott Manley video about ARCA. The water is run through a catalyst.

Can't find Scott's video. But you can't turn water to steam with a catalyst, you have to add large amounts of energy.

[niwax]

What's eco (ecological?) about it?

To be a little more serious about it, the first two stages are (purportedly) reusable, and they are steam powered. The third stage, however, is a regular chemical rocket, although I don't remember (and can't be bothered to look up right now) if it is hydrolox or kerolox or unicorn poots.

So, ECO!!

With the extremely poor ISP and mediocre mass fraction of the steam rockets, that upper stage is almost SSTO. The lower stages only provide some 1000m/s each and total payload fraction to orbit is 0.2%. Even pretty terrible small launcher reach 2%, and the limit for efficient designs is around 4%.

They're probably not saving any energy compared to, say, a Methalox first stage since that would need something like 1/4 the propellant, and 75% of that is liquid oxygen.

[trimeta]

What's eco (ecological?) about it?

To be a little more serious about it, the first two stages are (purportedly) reusable, and they are steam powered. The third stage, however, is a regular chemical rocket, although I don't remember (and can't be bothered to look up right now) if it is hydrolox or kerolox or unicorn poots.

So, ECO!!

Note that even steam damages the ozone layer so only in that one case it is not ecological. Scott Manley has video on the topic if someone wants to find it. It has a cryptic title.

Simple solution: launch through the ozone hole!

How is steam made. Surely heat (energy) is required, how is the energy produced?

Also discussed in a Scott Manley video about ARCA. The water is run through a catalyst.

Can't find Scott's video. But you can't turn water to steam with a catalyst, you have to add large amounts of energy.

To summarize the video, it's made the same way you make tea: heating water until it boils. The catalyst is supposed to help it boil better (maybe by changing the boiling point of the water?), but the heat is added through resistive heating coils/rods.

[Steven Pietrobon]

To be a little more serious about it, the first two stages are (purportedly) reusable, and they are steam powered. The third stage, however, is a regular chemical rocket, although I don't remember (and can't be bothered to look up right now) if it is hydrolox or kerolox or unicorn poots.

The third stage uses 95% HTP (95% hydrogen peroxide and 5% water) oxidiser and RP-1 (kerosene) fuel. HTP stands for High Test Peroxide which was the term used by the British when they were launching rockets in the 1960s.

[CT Space Guy]

Oh come on please. Every new info about ARCA is followed by several posts about how much scam that all is. I don't see the same thing on a lot of other companies which so far have the same or less to show. Can we please stick to the facts without mocking, blaming etc?

The facts are that it is a scam

Finally a post from Jim that I agree with and may me giggle

[russianhalo117]

Oh come on please. Every new info about ARCA is followed by several posts about how much scam that all is. I don't see the same thing on a lot of other companies which so far have the same or less to show. Can we please stick to the facts without mocking, blaming etc?

The facts are that it is a scam

Finally a post from Jim that I agree with and may me giggle

I'd say its true but they might threaten the forum with legal action to raise money.

[daedalus1]

The only way you can lower the boiling point of water is to lower the air pressure, as the engine will be higher than 1 bar pressure the boiling point will be higher. Using a catalyst is nonsense.

[high road]

Oh come on please. Every new info about ARCA is followed by several posts about how much scam that all is. I don't see the same thing on a lot of other companies which so far have the same or less to show. Can we please stick to the facts without mocking, blaming etc?

I think this forum is pretty well-calibrated in that regard. You don't see people accusing ULA, SpaceX, or Blue of being scams. When companies are clearly over promising (e.g. Vector), they are met here with well-warranted skepticism. And when they're very obviously a scam (like ARCA), they're treated as such.

But hey, I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. I'd be more than willing to wager that no ARCA rocket will never make orbit. Open-ended bet, no expiration date. If ARCA ever successfully launches a rocket to orbit, I'll buy TorenAltair a year's subscription to L2 or an equivalent value of swag from the NSF shop. No need to match my wager, if ARCA goes broke or their CEO finally gets indicted for fraud I'll just buy myself the L2 subscription and post a smug told-you-so.

I'd move ARCA slightly further from scam and Vector a lot closer since they don't appear to be taking investment money using those false promises, and they're certainly not sponsoring their racing hobby.

Not that they're any more credible. But at this precise moment in time they don't appear to be scamming anyone.

Aren't they funded by tax money?

[high road]

Oh come on please. Every new info about ARCA is followed by several posts about how much scam that all is. I don't see the same thing on a lot of other companies which so far have the same or less to show. Can we please stick to the facts without mocking, blaming etc?

So I gather you haven't seen old SpaceX threads, Mars One threads, LEO space station threads (Gateway Foundation), the heated debates about the viability of smallsat launchers where the s bomb is dropped from time to time, etc.

[Steven Pietrobon]

Aren't they funded by tax money?

As far as I know, they are currently funded from small amounts of private money, but are looking to Europe for government investment. One of their sources is Patreon https://www.patreon.com/arcaspace but I believe they have some larger investors.

https://m.facebook.com/arcaspace/photos/a.225583008331/10161084993358332/

"Assemblies on the deck for the EcoRocket before the launch training mission on the sea."

[LouScheffer]

The only way you can lower the boiling point of water is to lower the air pressure, as the engine will be higher than 1 bar pressure the boiling point will be higher. Using a catalyst is nonsense.

Not supporting ARCA, but chemists use boiling chips to help water boil by providing surface area and nucleation sites.  Since they are unchanged by the process, but help it along, they could be considered catalysts.

[daedalus1]

The only way you can lower the boiling point of water is to lower the air pressure, as the engine will be higher than 1 bar pressure the boiling point will be higher. Using a catalyst is nonsense.

Not supporting ARCA, but chemists use boiling chips to help water boil by providing surface area and nucleation sites.  Since they are unchanged by the process, but help it along, they could be considered catalysts.

Those just smooth out the boiling process, it doesn't lower the boiling point.

[Lars-J]

https://m.facebook.com/arcaspace/photos/a.225583008331/10161084993358332/

"Assemblies on the deck for the EcoRocket before the launch training mission on the sea."

So the first mission now became a “launch training mission”. This is not surprising with that flight mock-up hardware on the ship. But the goal post keep on moving. Never change, ARCA.

[Steven Pietrobon]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10161091922108332&id=225552438331

"ARCA with the Navy's logistical support executed the EXAM Mission 10 sea training for the EcoRocket launch scheduled for August 2021. More info in the next hours."