Questions tagged [launch]
Questions regarding the takeoff or the liftoff phase of the flight of a rocket and the set of activities required for preparation of the launch vehicle leading to it.
1,172 questions
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How (in)efficient would a rocket be that flew to orbital heights, hovered for a while, and then fell back down instead of going into orbit and back?
I understand in a vague and not mathematically rigorous way that most of the energy required to get a spacecraft into orbit goes into gaining "forward" speed, not actually in gaining ...
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7votes
2answers
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Are rocket companies financially responsible for flight delays and deviations due to falling debris and other possible side effects of failed launches
Are rocket companies financially responsible for flight delays and deviations due to falling debris and other possible side effects of failed launches?
- 1,352
1vote
1answer
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Ascent trajectory Non Stagnation Point wall temperature Space Shuttle External tank
Are there any available data on the Space Shuttle External Tank wall temperatures, for the points and surfaces other than the stagnation point? I found an interesting paper here -> https://ntrs....
- 171
0votes
1answer
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What is this object seen above Starship before launching on IFT-6?
While watching Starship a few hours before the launch of IFT-6, I noticed an object (circled in red) above Starship (screenshot below). The launch video is too zoomed out/low resolution for me to ...
0votes
0answers
238views
How much payload could Falcon 9 send to a 100km lunar orbit?
SpaceX has said that Falcon 9 can send 4020 kilograms to Mars. However, I can't seem to find the payload capacity to lunar orbit. So, how much payload can Falcon 9 send to a lunar orbit at an altitude ...
7votes
4answers
2kviews
what would be an alternative for Spin Launch?
I've seen Spin Launch several times, a system where payload/rocket is spun up to a certain velocity in a vacuum and then "thrown" into the exosphere or space. I found this concept of "...
- 2,493
0votes
0answers
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Descriptions of Sea Dragon contain self-contradictory numbers. How can this be resolved? [duplicate]
The Sea Dragon was a breathtakingly audacious design concept from 1962. Its proposed mass was almost 4 times that of Starship. Hold onto your popcorn if you watch this: ....
- 33k
25votes
1answer
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Is it impossible to launch a rocket from Venus’ surface to space?
This very thoughtful question points out there are limits to launching chemical rockets, particularly due to a planet’s gravity: How much bigger could Earth be, before rockets wouldn't work? A ...
- 33k
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0answers
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Trajectory of Launch
Where online are the anticipated trajectory of rocket launches shown prior to launches from Florida? This will allow ability to find launches in flight.
2votes
3answers
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Why doesn't SpaceX plan on doing something new on IFT-6?
The profile for IFT-6 is expected to be similar to that IFT-5, and I don't see any significant changes announced anywhere. This is strange for SpaceX, which usually makes significant changes between ...
2votes
1answer
281views
Would it be possible today, in practice, to launch through the eye of a hurricane as portrayed in the 1969 space movie, "Marooned"?
I think that "launch" should mean here to launch the kind of orbital class mission that could send supplies to a space station or (in the case of the movie) rescue some stranded astronauts. ...
- 9,353
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How much payload could the Falcon 9 send to geostationary orbit?
How much could a fully expendable Falcon 9 lift to GEO? How does this number change if the Falcon 9 performs a drone ship landing or an RTLS landing? To further add to the confusion, Encyclopedia ...
9votes
4answers
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Would it take less thrust overall to put an object into higher orbit?
Obviously, the engineers put things up to LEO for a reason, but my understanding is that much of the burn is used in getting the object up to orbital velocity. Higher orbits are slower, but is the ...
1vote
0answers
51views
Were top-ranked launch propulsion technologies, TBCC and RBCC, already flight-proven in 2012 when the NASA Space Technology report was published?
The publication, "NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities: Restoring NASA's Technological Edge and Paving the Way for a New Era in Space (2012)" states that NASA's top technical ...
- 9,353
0votes
1answer
353views
What is the total mass sent to orbit by SpaceX?
SpaceX currently has 363 or 364 (depending on how you count Amos-6) launches and counting. How much mass worth of payload have the sent up as of right now (August 14, 2024)?
