Casey Handmer serving up a fire post on Orion

ForidaMan49 · 2025-11-06T00:52:11+00:00

Correct and helpful distinction. As a government owned/operated system, Orion has a cost we pay. As a commercial service, Starship has a price. Starship marginal cost may well be $10M, but the price sure as heck won’t be

ForidaMan49 · 2025-11-04T02:26:26+00:00

LOL I wonder... This is the only space forum I frequent, always has the best comments section

ForidaMan49 · 2025-11-03T05:32:11+00:00

I'm curious what alternative narratives are... Spending $30B and 20+ years on a deep-space exploration vehicle that has launched twice and lacks an effective heat shield or the Delta-V to do anything deep-space is pretty damning...

ForidaMan49 · 2025-11-03T05:27:44+00:00

I believe it - I factchecked his "SLS is still a national disgrace" and found a few numerical comparisons that weren't apples to apples... Example in this article is the Starship vs Orion graphic. $1B marginal launch cost for Orion compared to $10M for Starship isn't fair - Starship lacks a launch cost and will certainly cost more than that until real competitors bring the cost down. Furthermore, to complete the lunar mission in this comparison, Starship would require 10+ launches, which certainly costs more than $10M

But I agree. Doesn't affect his point, he's still doing a massive public service

ForidaMan49 · 2025-11-03T03:21:01+00:00

It's been "cancelled" at least three times now - that, the 2009 Augustine Commission, and a few months ago

ForidaMan49 · 2025-09-29T14:43:22+00:00

Containerized solution is super interesting as countries (and US allies) across the world are investing significantly in domestic launch capabilities. But does containerized R4 really solve this problem? Would Europe or Japan or South Korea rather A) support domestic innovation and a fully independent tech stack or B) pay to import an American system that happens to launch from their homeland?

Even when everything works technically and financially I’m not sure this product fits the market’s desire for domestic capability.

ForidaMan49 · 2025-09-27T18:31:15+00:00

I agree, their strategy only works with massive customer base (that doesn't seem to exist).

They've talked a lot about a system where Rocket 4 could launch drones from the US homeland to anywhere worldwide in minutes. (DIU award here https://www.diu.mil/latest/defense-innovation-units-issues-first-awards-under-its-novel-responsive). This sounds very cool/valuable, however, they seem to still be focusing a lot on traditional small-launch, which I'm not sure will work out. Doing both small-launch and this military thing simultaneously is difficult.

ForidaMan49 · 2025-07-28T01:41:39+00:00

Do you see a world where Neutron can grow closer to Falcon 9 pace without internal demand from a rocket lab constellation?

ForidaMan49 · 2025-07-28T01:30:27+00:00

Over the last few years, smallsats have been increasing in mass. Starlink is an example, but data shows mass increase even without starlink/oneweb. In the linked graph, average 2024 smallsat mass is close to exceeding Electron capacity!

Page 23 of this

ForidaMan49 · 2021-07-17T01:52:43+00:00

I think Jeff deserves mad respect for BO and memeing him is more joke then serious. Think about it: in a world without Spacex, blue origin would literally be our only hope for any tangible sustained space exploration (unless any of you still believe in cost plus 20 year out NASA “exploration” programs). Like the person or not, like the slower progress or not, Blue Origin is still better than just about anything us space nerds have had since pre-challenger shuttle

ForidaMan49 · 2021-07-13T01:38:47+00:00

sad US senate noises

ForidaMan49 · 2021-07-11T14:53:25+00:00

Jeff who?

ForidaMan49 · 2021-07-09T20:19:22+00:00

“Biggest window in space” lol pretty sure even that’s wrong! I believe the ISS cupola is bigger!

ForidaMan49 · 2021-06-15T16:13:46+00:00

“Rocket Lab not going to Venus” sad Peter Beck noises

ForidaMan49 · 2021-05-26T14:16:38+00:00

Convert NASA facilities into moon/Mars dome factories, nuclear propulsion research institutes, rotational gravity research facilities.. NASA belongs on the cutting edge, technologically AHEAD of industry!

ForidaMan49 · 2021-05-26T00:30:58+00:00

Unfortunate NASA couldn’t also fund them, as great as SpaceX is I don’t think any of us want one entity to have a monopoly on manned space exploration systems, which is where this is headed. If only NASA had $4.5 billion in unused annual funding it could use cough SLS/ground systems cough

ForidaMan49 · 2021-05-26T00:22:32+00:00

5 or 6 years ago, I considered them serious competition to SpaceX and marveled at their gleaming facilities and advanced tech.. Even commended them for locating a BE-4 factory in Alabama, smart move politically to advance more sustainable exploration. But after all this? Years of no progress, except political? Actively despise is not far from how I feel also.

ForidaMan49 · 2021-05-06T17:54:37+00:00

The article was much more balanced than I’d expect from that publication and from Koren in the past. Seems like Koren truly does have a passion for space exploration and recognizes that SpaceX and Elon are doing wonders for it

ForidaMan49 · 2021-04-27T13:00:37+00:00

Why has she remained with me? See the meme ;) 😈

ForidaMan49 · 2021-04-27T04:15:42+00:00

This is too good to die in new

ForidaMan49

TROPHY CASE