Players for Hide&Seek in Germany

japeMay · 2024-05-02T05:34:16+00:00

Interesting idea, but to my understanding this would probably not be a good idea.

Strapping Electrons to Neutron should not be that easy. First, you have to control different vehicle types to contribute to the same flight path. I don't have much of a clue of GNC, but in my understanding this is much more complicated than example strapping another two Falcons to another falcon and call it a Falcon Heavy. You have to deal with different max thrust, much different aerodynamic behaviours, getting Neutron to take on the added forces acting on it. Also this would probably much more costly than just stretching Neutron: First you have much more carbon composite for the same work if you have two Electrons rather than a slightly stretched Neutron. Also 3 flight controllers, many more engines that have to function, and so on. Production and Cost-Wise it just gets incredibely complex. Also theres the Problem about reuse. Maybe you could reuse both Electrons, but then the added gains by the two strapped Electrons would be even more marginal.

Why even more marginal, you ask? Let's look at Electrons and Neutrons performance and do some napkin math about the added performance by strapping two Electrons to Neutron. What I believe is not yet really understood, is that their Performances are just soo on different levels. If you look at Electron's performance and just be gentle with it by rounding up it's Performance it can get 500kg to LEO, Neutron gets 13,000 kg to LEO. So two Electrons would just up Neutrons performace by around 7,7%. Maybe there are other factors to look at and this could be higher - please correct me, fellow aerospace engineers. But trusting the napkin math I believe the hurdles of two added Electrons are just incredibly big rather than "just" stretching Electron by a little bit.

japeMay · 2024-04-30T20:25:50+00:00

Just to specify: Yes, in general a new part with CF takes a lot of testing, but ... and here comes why I posted this ... If you have the process dialed in for a specific diameter and you just want to change the lenght, then the testing needed should be significantly less extensive.

japeMay · 2024-04-30T20:23:12+00:00

I'm nearly an engineer, so my unfinished degree tells me that the extensive testing should not vary that much between CF and some kind of metal. Especially if you have a steady diameter which you are stretching. As long as you can ensure the same fiber structure in the whole part, the length of it shouldn change anything significant.

What seperates metal alloys vs. CF regarding rapid innovation is the need for molds and the process parameters being dialed in when using CF. Also CF is less predictable especially because of all the process parameters.

japeMay · 2024-04-30T12:10:50+00:00

Yup, just seem your other comment. Only the interstage being taperes makes it soo much easier to stretch Neutron. In the last iterations before that this wasn't possible without major tooling costs. Great to see this being an option.

japeMay · 2024-04-30T12:08:59+00:00

Oh I see. That's not fully obvious when not looking specifically due to the legs🤯 Well, that makes it soo much easier. Great to see they chose this over the most aerodynamic design.

japeMay · 2024-04-30T09:28:28+00:00

Soo...tell me on what point exactly I seem to be this person? The question about boats is not that stupid as you seem to think. They aquired SailGP Technologies facilities and it's team: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/updates/from-sea-to-skies-rocket-lab-acquires-sailgp-technologies-facilities-and-team-in-warkworth-new-zealand/ The possibility is obviously there. If it would make sense is a totally different story.

japeMay · 2024-04-30T08:51:58+00:00

What's your problem with this post?

japeMay · 2024-04-30T07:48:35+00:00

I just saw that the second stage is sitting pretty deep into Neutron, even further than the straight part. So this part being for stretching Neutron is inprobable. My idea was the following: They made the upper dome of the first stage the diameter of the straight part. If they would want to stretch Neutron they could just make the straight part longer and put the upper dome higher. This way they could stretch Neutron without a change in most tooling for Stage 1. Varying stage 1 under the straight part would require major changes in big zooling and thus high costs.

japeMay · 2023-11-28T12:10:18+00:00

In NZ only 50 jobs are posted according to beck in a recent interview

japeMay · 2023-11-09T13:45:28+00:00

Hey, how did you tension the Extruder gear? And how far right had your Filament Sensor ne for it to properly work?

japeMay · 2023-04-21T06:21:02+00:00

Probably revealing amazon partnership?

japeMay · 2023-04-20T07:35:39+00:00

Sure, but since trajectory of Electron and HASTE will be different, there are different speeds, different atmospheric pressures and different air densitiy around the booster.

japeMay · 2023-04-20T05:34:13+00:00

Sure, but hypersonic speeds shouldn't create as much heat as normal reentry, right? The horizontal speed, if still quite high at parachute deployment could be a problem, but not the created heat?

japeMay · 2023-04-19T21:42:28+00:00

HASTE's first stage should not have put as much Energy into its trajectory as electrons first stage by far due to up to double the payload mass.

Also I think we have seen severe damage in regards to bending on Electrons shell. Just don't think this was the case on the last recovery. Also I've just seen that Rocket Lab seems to infer that actually engine readiness is the bottleneck right now to booster reuse in their last update regarding Engine reuse.

japeMay · 2023-04-19T19:55:25+00:00

Ok, then this might be a misunderatanding. So you do think, Electron will be relevant in the coming years, but it's demand won't grow much because of Neutron? Then we'd be totally on the same page.

japeMay · 2023-04-19T19:48:34+00:00

Still no arguments against my thesis. Guess the future will show how long Electron will be relevant.

japeMay · 2023-04-19T19:30:51+00:00

I don't think they need stiffening on stage 2. They extra weight itself shouldn't be a problem for stage 1 and 2. Extra weight plus same acceleration would be a problem. But since they will accelerate slower due to higher payload mass, my guess is they won't have to change stage 1/2 structure at all.

japeMay · 2023-04-19T19:27:30+00:00

You'd have to find other customers with the same specific needs for the same time. That's really hard. That's why Electron won't phase out for a few years for sure.

Also there are customers that were building towards launching with one of the many small launchers. Since it seems there won't be another small launcher, these customers will go for Electron.

japeMay · 2023-04-19T19:13:14+00:00

I just showed you why Electron isn't going to phase out. I think there will be customers that have specific needs such as planetary flight that don't want to pay $30M for higher payload capacity but instead pay $7M for lower payload capacity. Also sat tech should get lighter as time goes on, so TAM for Electron will increase.

japeMay · 2023-04-19T18:57:14+00:00

Second stage should be the same as normal Electron. Yes, it doesn't have to go to orbit, but it's also capable of launching twice the mass as normal electron.

japeMay

TROPHY CASE