Transport rocket: fast transfer of American cargo to any point on Earth

86

Beginning of a journey


January was remembered as a very remarkable event, which could be the beginning of a long winding path.

SpaceNews has reported that the US Air Force has awarded SpaceX a five-year, $102 million contract to demonstrate technology and capabilities to transport military supplies and humanitarian aid around the world via a "heavy rocket."



In the classification adopted by NASA, the "heavy" class means the possibility of launching 20-50 tons into a low reference orbit. Let's say the performance of a heavy Falcon 9 rocket is approximately 22 tons. Obviously not what the Americans are counting on.


In this case, as far as one can judge, it is about carrier super heavy class.

The amount immediately attracts attention. $100 million is not the price for such an ambitious project. However, this is not required.

So far, we are talking about demonstrating the fundamental possibility of delivery.

“The contract formalizes a partnership between the state and industry to find out what exactly can be achieved with a rocket when used as a cargo transport: what is its real capacity, speed and final price?”

- quotes "Gazeta.ru" the words of Greg Spangers, manager of the cargo rocket program of the US Air Force Research Laboratory.

What do the military want?

The Pentagon intends to deliver cargo extremely quickly to any point on Earth. First of all, we are talking about the delivery of humanitarian cargo to regions affected by natural disasters. However, of course, the range of tasks can be expanded.

The Many Faces of Starship


Formally, the contract does not apply to any of the SpaceX launch vehicles, however, there are not many options.

Elon Musk (the founder and head of the company) has long been saying that the promising Starship can be used as an alternative to airliners. In addition, the Pentagon was previously actively interested in the novelty.

According to Musk's scenario, the rocket will take off into space, but it will not accelerate to the first space velocity and will return to the atmosphere again, landing at the specified point on the Earth.


Opinions on this matter vary.

“For example, a beautiful idea, which was immediately supported by our enthusiasts, is the intercontinental rapid delivery of people. The idea is really very beautiful, fantastic, let's hope that one day it will become realistic, but today, in order to put people in a rocket so that it flies from one continent to another, you will have to take enormous risks, ”

- said at one time the head of the Russian space department Dmitry Rogozin, noting, however, that such a risk could be justified for military tasks.

By itself, Starship needs no introduction, but just in case, we recall.

It will be the most powerful SpaceX rocket yet. In fact, we are talking about a complex of an accelerator and a spacecraft, which will play the role of the second stage. It is also called Starship, and the accelerator was named Super Heavy. Starship will be able to launch 100-150 tons into a low reference orbit in a reusable configuration.

It is reusability that is the basis of the concept: something without which the project is meaningless.

Due to the fact that both components of the system can be reused after launch, the price of one start should be extremely low.

A few years ago, Musk said that the cost of launching Starship would not exceed $9 million. Now that sounds like science fiction, because one launch of a partially reusable Falcon 60 heavy-class rocket costs XNUMX million. They want to achieve savings, including through fuel, which will be cheap liquid methane and oxygen.

Descended from heaven


What can the Pentagon get in practice?

In short, the idea means that it will be possible to transfer cargo to any part of the Earth in less than an hour, which, of course, is impossible by conventional methods.

Another plus, paradoxically, may lie in the cost.


An hour's flight of a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy military transport aircraft costs more than $100. Accordingly, a ten-hour flight will cost more than a million.

At the same time, the aircraft cannot deliver equipment and / or people to any point on the Earth with a full load: the maximum range of its flight with a full load is 4 kilometers. That is, in many cases, landing, refueling, maintenance will be required. In a word, everything that Starship does not need in this case.

Next is the payload.

The maximum indicator of Galaxy is 122 thousand kilograms. "Transport Rocket" will be able to deliver the same amount or even more. At the same time, it is incomparably faster.

It is known that the C-5 Galaxy can carry six AH-64 helicopters or four M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, or six M1126 / M1135 Stryker armored personnel carriers, or one modern M1 Abrams tank, or up to 345 soldiers and officers.

The pressurized volume of the Starship second stage, which can be used, allows you to carry up to several hundred people in one flight. At least in theory.


However, all good things come at a price.

A rocket is not a plane. It cannot be launched from a conventional airfield. Appropriate infrastructure is needed: at least launch pads. All this, of course, will affect the overall price of the concept.

Huge loads on the structure and a lot of technical risks can also make themselves felt.

"Jumping" and flying


The main thing lies in the Starship itself: not in a military transport rocket, but in the system that SpaceX is now creating. Underestimating the Musk in the current realities is simply stupid.

Meanwhile, not all seemingly revolutionary ideas get a start in life, and SpaceX is no exception.

So far, Starship has not made a single orbital launch: the first of them is planned to be held this year.

Tests of the system had limited success, so to speak. Last year, SpaceX conducted one successful test flight and three unsuccessful or partially successful ones.

In all these cases, technology demonstrators performed ten-kilometer “jumps”, which, of course, can hardly be regarded otherwise than as a demonstration of capabilities.


In support of Starship, we can say that the system changed the perception of the rocket and space industry even before its actual birth.

The American company Relativity Space went the same way, which showed last year the project of the Terran R reusable space system, a conditional reduced analogue of Starship.

In addition, under the influence of SpaceX, Blue Origin decided to remake the promising New Glenn rocket. Now reusable see not only its first step, but also the second.

The first launch of the conditional competitor Starship is scheduled for the end of the year.
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86 comments
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  1. -15
    28 January 2022 04: 08
    ))) about how .. decided. what flies there you will not immediately know! but we can send it)) Uranium in it is just like a rocket even now! will they catch?)
    1. +20
      28 January 2022 06: 48
      . The American company Relativity Space went the same way, which showed last year the project of the Terran R reusable space system, a conditional reduced analogue of Starship.

      In addition, under the influence of SpaceX, Blue Origin decided to remake the promising New Glenn rocket. Now reusable see not only its first step, but also the second.

      American companies set the vector for the development of space rockets. The Chinese will surely follow. And the journalist Rogozin on American Twitter will talk about beautiful ideas and the impossibility of implementing them.
      1. +13
        28 January 2022 08: 04
        American companies set the vector for the development of space rockets. The Chinese will surely follow. And the journalist Rogozin on American Twitter will talk about beautiful ideas and the impossibility of implementing them.

        Shame on you... lol Doctor of Technical Sciences Rogozin is about to build almost the first orbital station of the Earth and conditionally be the first to land on the Moon. lol
        1. -4
          28 January 2022 13: 14
          Shame on you... lol Doctor of Technical Sciences Rogozin is about to build almost the first orbital station of the Earth and conditionally be the first to land on the Moon. lol
          Never post your comment on social media. Comedians will chip in on the killer for you! Save yourself.
      2. +21
        28 January 2022 08: 34
        To insert Rogozin's quotes into serious news about space ... This is ... Indecent somehow ....
      3. -15
        28 January 2022 11: 22
        American companies set the vector for the development of space rockets.

        jump rockets into orbit, no further.
        .
        And the journalist Rogozin on American Twitter will talk about beautiful ideas and the impossibility of implementing them.

        give him money, at least a quarter of what the Americans have, and he will do you just as well. and not only him, but any conditional Roskosmos of any country.
        1. +6
          28 January 2022 16: 25
          Yes, they already gave
          The salary of the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin is 29,5 million rubles a year (460 thousand dollars). The annual salary of NASA executives does not exceed $250.
          1. +1
            28 January 2022 17: 53
            money should not be given to Rogozin, but to people who invent and build. a person I know receives little money in this system, which is simply ridiculous by world standards. employees are trying to optimize (reduce). Recently, I have not asked about the recruitment of young people. a couple of years ago they offered something like 60-80 thousand rubles. for a graduate of Bauman-MSU-Phystech, and they have an alternative to go into commerce and start earning 100-200 as a programmer and further-higher. at the same time, his former subordinate went to America in the 90s, and as I understand it, NASA gave him a salary of 0,5 million dollars a year.
          2. 0
            28 January 2022 19: 48
            So they still pay him for secrecy, and if they don’t pay .....
          3. 0
            28 January 2022 21: 00
            give him money, at least a quarter of what the Americans have

            Yes, they already gave
            good
            I meant industry
            where to read about salary? did the leaders themselves inject, or where are the sheets taken?
            1. 0
              28 January 2022 23: 12
              He officially declares
              https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.rbc.ru/rbcnews/politics/27/05/2021/60aff6619a79477ec4446d55
  2. -16
    28 January 2022 04: 30
    Meanwhile, not all ideas that are revolutionary at first glance get a start in life,

    Moreover, there is experience in the construction of devices, the essence of which contradicts the laws of physics, strength of materials and does not imply safe, accident-free operation ... So flights on a cannonball did not become widespread ... laughing
    In support of Starship, we can say that the system changed the perception of the rocket and space industry even before its actual birth.

    It is possible to maintain the perfection of a rocket engine only if it is recognized as the first step of man towards space exploration. All these fantasies of the Mask are nothing more real than UFOs plowing the expanses of near-Earth space and the solar system. Most likely, some other principles of movement in space based on the use of gravity, EMC and thermonuclear energy will be in demand in the future. And all jumps will go down in history, like all jumps with tied wings ... The main thing is that this does not happen:
    1. +4
      28 January 2022 06: 51
      Quote: yuriy55
      Most likely, some other principles of movement in space based on the use of gravity, EMC and thermonuclear energy will be in demand in the future.

      Maybe. Today it is, as you put it, "fantasies, nothing more real than UFOs plowing the expanses of near-Earth space and the solar system."
    2. +13
      28 January 2022 09: 56
      Quote: yuriy55
      Most likely, some other principles of movement in space based on the use of gravity, EMC and thermonuclear energy will be in demand in the future.

      Everything is possible. Let's sit down and guess what will happen in the distant future? On the cards, on the coffee grounds, along the lines on the hand, on the wax on the Epiphany evening. The surest way to see the future is to listen to the fantasies of Roskosmos, Rogozin or Konanykhin. Give a link to the article of the last "Pasta Monster Elon Musk"? True, recently this seer has kept quiet about the Mask, more and more he began to talk about nucleons-Zeus. It is understandable: today you can fantasize about the future fearlessly, who will check? You won't get into a mess, as with Musk.
      But do you personally live in the present? Or are you already finding yourself constantly in the future today?
      But there are, it turns out, people who, instead of idle fictions and fantasies, are engaged in business. Already today. They work not with the language, but with the head and hands of the collective they created. And for some reason they all turn out great. And it will get even better in the future, I suppose. If they, unlike others, do not fantasize about the future, but really bring this future closer by working now.
      Moreover, not relying on the developments of the 60-70-80s of the last century, but creating new concepts, new reusable spacecraft, launch vehicles, engines, satellite Internet and much more.
      1. -9
        28 January 2022 11: 17
        they, unlike others, do not fantasize about the future, but really bring this future closer, working now ... creating new concepts, new reusable spacecraft, launch vehicles, engines, satellite Internet and much more.

        so who's arguing?
        every whim for your money
      2. -10
        28 January 2022 12: 25
        Konanykhin is the one who needs to be listened to, a smart man
        1. +9
          28 January 2022 13: 08
          It can be seen that you did not listen well or read the graduate of the Faculty of Power Engineering at Baumanka (Department E-4, specialty "Engineering and Physics of Low Temperatures"), Mr. Konanykhin.
          We will fix this quickly. I give several quotes from this seer, voiced by him in approximately the same period of time (during which, however, the successful landings of the first stage of the F-9 Mask went like an avalanche).
          "The most important thing is that you cannot produce your rocket at the spaceport itself - there are simply no these fake technologists, workers, welders, metallurgists, locksmiths and all this rabble who wants to eat and fuck women, so you, trying to somehow save money, must deliver the missile in parts to the Vanderberg military base ... "
          "And here it turns out the wild, sticky horror of an engineer - in order to shove so much fuel and oxidizer so that you can pull the promised cargo into orbit, you need to make a rocket high ... high ... (raise the calculator, she is lying ugly in a swoon) - 70 (in words - SEVENTY) meters.
          You are stupid. You really feel bad - with a diameter of 3.7 meters, you need to ensure the flight strength of the "pasta" 70 meters long (divide 70 by 3.7 and get a ratio of 18.9 - one to nineteen!). The worst thing is that you need to ensure the stability of the first stage of this "pasta" on a platform in the ocean (who said - waves ?!) - a column 55 meters high - and keep it under a normal breeze (who said - wind pressure ?!). You feel very bad - you need to increase the "legs". They just have to be longer. With their dimensions, they need to be made thicker, stronger (who said - we cut by weight?!). For every extra pound of legs, for every extra pound of pasta, you need extra fuel and oxygen.
          Just a few months later:
          "The Mask program, if we talk about each individual technical solution of the design of the same Falcon, is a very good result of engineering work. Excellent tank welding technology, perfectly calculated parameters of the landing legs, perfectly working pneumatic locks, excellent communications, excellent working control system. "
          "The first stage of the Falcon 9 really lands, which is the greatest feat of engineering ever."
          How does it all fit in my head at the same time? the same person - difficult to understand. Adequate people.
          I wish you to continue to study the works of this master of astronautics. Only better, as I have said more than once, at night. Lulled better than fairy tales.
          1. -1
            29 January 2022 06: 26
            Konanykhin is a genius! I haven't seen such a fire in a long time! 2015-2016 was truly a golden time!
        2. 0
          28 January 2022 19: 51
          God forbid you listen to this "expert", you will become a goat!
      3. -1
        28 January 2022 14: 11
        He was fascinated by the work of Viktor Shaunberg. :)
  3. +12
    28 January 2022 05: 29
    In fact, fiction is quite scientific.
    One circumstance confuses me the most, but how is Musk going to reuse a ship that has flown to "anywhere on Earth"?
    It will have to be taken from there somehow later, dragged to the cosmodrome ....
    Will this also be included in the promised $2 million? Or will they preliminarily build their own factory and launch pad at this "any point"?
    1. +3
      28 January 2022 08: 56
      To begin with, this thousand-ton ship with a hundred-ton load must be landed
    2. +4
      28 January 2022 08: 57
      One circumstance confuses me the most, but how is Musk going to reuse a ship that has flown to "anywhere on Earth"?


      Well, the same can be said about airplanes. This is what an idiot Boeing, Curtis and others were - but no, they actually fly to any point on the earth and even return.

      If you fly with the rest of the fuel, then the platform is quite enough (like a jump airfield without refueling). If you fly with refueling, then the junction station is again like the current large airfield. Mechazil and other complex infrastructure is needed more for a heavy booster. And here it will not be.
      1. +6
        28 January 2022 13: 38
        Quote: donavi49
        This is what an idiot Boeing, Curtis and others were - but no, they actually fly to any point on the earth and even return.

        No.
        Nifiga not in any.
        Only where there is a prepared infrastructure - an airport. Those. huge runway, fuel reserves, maintenance shop, etc. etc.
        And then getting from / to the airport is another separate event,
    3. +2
      28 January 2022 09: 59
      First, "reuse" is not the #1 factor for the military. Remembering even a bunch of abandoned equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan, which could have been returned, that's just economically pointless.

      Secondly, "the road is a spoon for dinner", in this meaning 100 tons arrived at the right point at the right time, can significantly change the balance of forces and the results of the operation. Even at the cost of an abandoned vehicle.

      As for the launch shaft and other infrastructure, today fly away from an unprepared surface only helicopters (tiltiplanes) can do it. Having with them also fuel for return, thereby reducing the already small radius of action - relative to aircraft requiring runways. Starship in a single-stage configuration will be able to perform suborbital flights. I posted a table with the estimated range. The infrastructure for launching a rocket is comparable to an airfield, fuel-methane and an oxidizer (liquid oxygen) can also be produced in relatively Spartan conditions. That is, the return of Starship from a military base at another point on the globe does not seem technically impossible.
      1. -1
        28 January 2022 13: 41
        Quote: Proctologist
        reuse" for the military is not the #1 factor.

        Those. You won't be able to meet 2 million.
        The infrastructure for launching a rocket is comparable to an airfield, the fuel is methane and an oxidizer (liquid oxygen) 
        those. All the same, he will be able to fly not to any point, but only to another spaceport.
        1. +3
          28 January 2022 16: 53
          Quote: Jacket in stock
          those. All the same, he will be able to fly not to any point, but only to another spaceport.


          No. It will be able to fly and land softly on any relatively flat and hard surface, unprepared or minimally prepared, since the vertical speed during landing can be close to 0, the question is the hardness of the surface and the absence of obstacles for the landing legs.

          Fly away, incl. and after a long time, he will also be able to get out of there, subject to refueling. This is already much more complicated, requires infrastructure, imposes restrictions on the choice of landing point, but is not absurd. A reusable rocket that can "bounce" is quite capable of flying over distances that the fuel supply allows. I think we will still see the Strayships flying "under their own power" from the factory to the spaceport. Or between spaceports.
          1. 0
            29 January 2022 05: 10
            Quote: Proctologist
            Fly away, incl. and after a long time, he will also be able to from there, subject to refueling. This is already much more difficult, requires infrastructure, imposes restrictions on the choice of landing point,

            Well, i.e. you also agree that it will not be cheap, nor will the point be any.
            1. +1
              29 January 2022 16: 49
              I don't quite understand what "cheap" is by military standards. I am amazed at the prices of armored vehicles, for example. Regarding civilians. It would seem, what's the difference? Well, more iron went into the armor, and that's it!

              I will repeat my example with this expensive equipment (Oshkosh) abandoned in Afghanistan, which despite for a price of hundreds of thousands of dollars, it turned out to be more profitable to throw it away than to bring it back.

              So is Starship. It's certainly not a disposable plywood glider, but it's not a stumbling block either (excluding technology leaks). You can take it out or fill it up and send it back on your own, at the cost of some expenses. You can quit. You can leave for the time being at the landing point if it is friendly territory and decide later, according to the situation.

              I don’t see any obvious unambiguity a la kamikaze with Starship. Structurally, this is not a disposable ship. In certain situations, like any military equipment, it can become "disposable". This happened with battleships too :-)
              1. 0
                30 January 2022 05: 20
                Quote: Proctologist
                I don't quite understand what "cheap" is.

                Yes, how bae, the article directly named the amount of $ 2 million for one flight.
                Everything you write about confirms my doubts that it will be possible to meet this amount only in very individual cases, and even that is not a fact.
    4. -7
      28 January 2022 11: 28
      and how is Musk going to reuse a ship that has flown to "anywhere on Earth"?

      in any way.
      will be used for military purposes. it's a one way flight
      1. 0
        29 January 2022 09: 59
        Quote: Disant
        and how is Musk going to reuse a ship that has flown to "anywhere on Earth"?

        in any way.
        will be used for military purposes. it's a one way flight

        I don’t understand why they flogged you like that?! Well, you're talking business! Firstly, what does Musk (?) have to do with it when the Pentagon pays! (Any whim for your money!) And secondly, this idea (concept) was not born in the heads of American warriors today! Even when Musk walked under the table on foot and his parents and neighbors knew about him; the "Pentagon" dreamed of the opportunity to get a "transport rocket", not excluding a one-time version! What is the point? And the point is in the permanent movement of troops and cargo anywhere and in "three seconds", without violating international laws on the right of any earthly state to have a sovereign piece of atmosphere over its territory! That is, if someone flies over the territory, for example, New Guinea (Papua) without warning and permission at an altitude of up to 80 km, then this will be a violation of the sovereign airspace of an independent state! (Ugh! I still spoke out!) ... But at an altitude of over 80 km you can ... laws are not written!
    5. +3
      28 January 2022 22: 16
      Two tower sites will be built for verification.
      One in Texas (already built).
      Second in Australia.
      And there will be two prototype missiles.
    6. 0
      30 January 2022 02: 02
      Quote: Jacket in stock
      In fact, fiction is quite scientific.
      One circumstance confuses me the most, but how is Musk going to reuse a ship that has flown to "anywhere on Earth"?
      It will have to be taken from there somehow later, dragged to the cosmodrome ....
      Will this also be included in the promised $2 million? Or will they preliminarily build their own factory and launch pad at this "any point"?

      I think that in the case of intercontinental passenger use, at each landing point there will have to be an appropriate launch pad with a booster. But if it’s just the delivery of cargo to a certain point on the Earth, then the launch pad and booster will be needed only at the start. When returning without cargo, an empty Starship will be able to take off and return on its own. He doesn't need much fuel. When the first stage of the Falcon 9 lands, then the power of even one of the nine engines is redundant. He needs so little fuel for landing. So it will be with Starship. Empty, it will easily take off by itself and get to the nearest base.
  4. -10
    28 January 2022 05: 38
    it must be so fucked up
    By the way, will they throw half a tank and then collect on the spot?
  5. -11
    28 January 2022 06: 39
    It remains to explain to the Russian missile defense system what flies there. She frankly doesn't care if it's Star or Ship. A rocket is flying towards Europe, which means they will fail. Well, Poplar without thorns in the return line. Elon Musk, or whatever his real name is, will never wake up. So it goes...
    1. +10
      28 January 2022 09: 05
      The range of the Russian missile defense around Moscow is a circle. Therefore, if you do not fly to Russia, you can land in Estonia without any complications. If ours decide to build another bunch of missile defense position areas, then where does the money come from?
      1. Aag
        -8
        28 January 2022 10: 04
        Quote: BlackMokona
        The range of the Russian missile defense around Moscow is a circle. Therefore, if you do not fly to Russia, you can land in Estonia without any complications. If ours decide to build another bunch of missile defense position areas, then where does the money come from?

        For counter-oncoming, retaliatory strikes, an early warning signal will be enough ...
        1. +10
          28 January 2022 10: 49
          How then did a nuclear war not start from the launches and landings of Falcon-9? wassat
          1. Aag
            -8
            28 January 2022 10: 52
            Quote: BlackMokona
            How then did a nuclear war not start from the launches and landings of Falcon-9? wassat

            Launch areas, trajectories are monitored ... In difficult, dubious conditions, there are no agreements, warnings so far ...
            1. +7
              28 January 2022 11: 06
              All space launches around the world are notified about the trajectory and other things of all partners with early warning systems so that they know and do not twitch. Same with the Starships. Today at 12.30 launch San Francisco Tokyo, trajectory 2487. Stay tuned.
              1. Aag
                -9
                28 January 2022 11: 30
                Quote: BlackMokona
                All space launches around the world are notified about the trajectory and other things of all partners with early warning systems so that they know and do not twitch. Same with the Starships. Today at 12.30 launch San Francisco Tokyo, trajectory 2487. Stay tuned.

                Moscow time? Specify! I can't make it...)))
                ... If you know why he writes this: "... The range of the Russian missile defense around Moscow is a circle. Therefore, if you don’t fly to Russia, you can land in Estonia without any complications. If ours decide to build a bunch more missile defense position areas, then where does the money come from?"
                In general, the topic is different by some commentators. What prevents the United States from declaring that the Starships have sent, say, a vaccine to Tokyo, Kabul, Kiev (indicating the times and areas of launches, even trajectories)?
                And at the last moment, "suddenly" something went wrong - did the trajectories begin to bend towards Irkutsk, Uzhur, Novosibirsk?
                1. +4
                  28 January 2022 11: 47
                  Well, there is still nothing to shoot down on this trajectory. wink
                  1. Aag
                    -3
                    28 January 2022 11: 51
                    Quote: BlackMokona
                    Well, there is still nothing to shoot down on this trajectory. wink

                    But you have to answer! soldier
                    And the jingoists claim that all positional areas of the Strategic Missile Forces are covered by air defense, missile defense ...
                    feel I don’t know what Peresvet is doing in the Strategic Missile Forces ...
            2. Aag
              0
              29 January 2022 14: 04
              Quote: AAG
              Quote: BlackMokona
              How then did a nuclear war not start from the launches and landings of Falcon-9? wassat

              Launch areas, trajectories are monitored ... In difficult, dubious conditions, there are no agreements, warnings so far ...

              Minusators - I would like to hear disagreement, arguments ...
              I noticed - there was a certain caste of the forum: apart from the "stray", there are "hunters" for "epaulettes";
              I seriously begin to suspect that some are "at work")), well, even by the number of comments per unit of time, a three-shift work is obtained)), - but, I hope, they are people too, - they think about what they read, what they answer, evaluate;
              Naturally, there are people with a different opinion on a particular issue (probably even good), - but (!), - then the OPINION should probably be expressed!
              ...Comrades, gentlemen!
              Each of us "goals" on this resource for various reasons ... But! EVEN if the antagonists collide, I think the wallpaper is interested in the popularity of the resource. Isn't it? "Gang fights" among the regulars are a normal thing for all decent forums. But, they can, sometimes go, into the sphere of personal communication (also normal) ...
              But, I confess, I would like to keep "VO" as ... a platform for convenient, sincere, interesting, informative, mutually respected communication! (Utopian? - I don’t think) ... hi
    2. +1
      28 January 2022 13: 44
      Quote: Borisych
      It remains to explain to the Russian missile defense system what flies there.

      And what's the problem?
      Did the Russian missile defense have their phone turned off?
  6. -5
    28 January 2022 06: 44
    What is there to talk about? At the very beginning it is written -
    $102 million contract for a demonstration technologies and opportunities

    The generals fantasized and dispersed)
  7. +18
    28 January 2022 08: 41
    Imagine if in Russia
    there was a person like Ilon, who embodied such ambitious projects ...
    ... he would still be winding the deadline for PayPal today.
    1. +13
      28 January 2022 09: 07
      Reality is sadder
      "Russian Elon Musk" died due to torture and rape in jail

      A forensic medical examination conducted in February-March showed that Pshenichny did not commit suicide, but died as a result of bodily injuries. The arrested person was tortured, raped, and then strangled. Cut and stab wounds were found on his body, marks from electrical trauma were found in his mouth, in addition, his spine was broken.

      The reason why the engineer was so abused in the pre-trial detention center remained unclear. But before his death, according to Novaya Gazeta, he managed to give his wife three notes asking him not to pay anything to anyone.

      https://lenta.ru/news/2018/04/16/ilonmask/
    2. +16
      28 January 2022 09: 33
      The Russian Zuckerberg - Pavel Durov was forced to sell VKontakte cheaply and flee the country in which a criminal case was opened against him. The Kremlin does not need talent. The Uzbek criminal Usmanov is closer to him than the brilliant Durov.
      1. -11
        28 January 2022 09: 45
        Drawing facebook is already brilliant?
        1. +14
          28 January 2022 09: 48
          In any case, the dude built a successful business without cutting and stealing from the state budget. It was taken from him and for now.
          1. -12
            28 January 2022 12: 30
            he sits on the budget of the Pentagon !!!!
        2. +9
          28 January 2022 10: 48
          Quote: Yaroslav Zhigulin
          Drawing facebook is already brilliant?

          and what did he "copy" the cart from?
        3. -1
          30 January 2022 02: 14
          Quote: Yaroslav Zhigulin
          Drawing facebook is already brilliant?

          And try to "copy", we'll see! I left Facebook out of principle. I thought I could easily find "copied" sites. But no .... So far, I have not found a single normal one. Even the "Durovsky" Telegram is frankly worse and more inconvenient than Facebook. So, go for it... Maybe you can. We will erect a monument to you ...
    3. +8
      28 January 2022 09: 58
      Imagine if in Russia
      there was a person like Ilon, who embodied such ambitious projects ...
      ... he would still be winding the deadline for PayPal today.

      So Max tried to build a business with Russia, but it didn’t work out.
      In October 2001, businessman Ilon Musk came to Moscow to buy a converted intercontinental ballistic missile to send mice to Mars.
      https://www.rbc.ru/business/14/05/2015/5554d2549a7947f13bdf3360
  8. -15
    28 January 2022 09: 44
    A guy in slippers and with MANPADS will be very happy with such a flying tank.
    1. +12
      28 January 2022 10: 08
      Such a statement of the question and such an approach to business will be pleasant.
      To create something new, modern, innovative is not for us.
      But to destroy this new, to destroy it - this is ours. Skrepnoe.
  9. -6
    28 January 2022 10: 03
    1. Ilon had something there, some big problems in the department that dealt with engines for these beautiful ships, as if they had come down from pictures of science fiction magazines of the 50s.
    They say they do not develop the calculated traction .. Moreover, it does not fall short.
    Well, two top managers from these departments waved their pen and left .... Director and chief designer, if anything ...
    Has this problem already been solved? Or, on these engines, suborbital flight is possible.
    2. It is not possible to refuel several thousand tons of oxygen and methane anywhere in the world, far from anywhere. And as I understand it, the ship (this is the second stage) needs the first stage to return, which still needs to be delivered to "anywhere in the world". How to be here?
    3. Well, it's hard to believe that flying on a rocket will be cheaper than on a transport plane. The fuel consumption of a rocket is 100 times greater. What is the cost of saving?
    ps And although the rocket flies for only an hour to "anywhere in the world", in some parts of the world it is knocked down at once by long-range anti-aircraft missile systems ..
    1. +5
      28 January 2022 10: 35
      1. Speaking of "not reaching the design thrust," it would be nice to insert a link in the comments to substantiate the reliability of this statement. Preferably from a reputable source. At the moment, for example, something else is known. That version of the Raptor 2 already works stably at a pressure of 300 bar in the COP.
      2. Today we are talking not about the suborbit, but about the orbital of the entire complex. Which is only delayed by bureaucratic processes at the FAA.
      3. The transfer of cargo to anywhere on Earth is just one of the possible uses for the Starship / Super Heavy system, which Musk mentioned. The main purpose of the system is not at all in this.
      4. With regard to "getting off" already answered with a comment above.
      1. -3
        28 January 2022 12: 43
        Quote: Cosm22
        1. Speaking of "not reaching the design thrust," it would be nice to insert a link in the comments to substantiate the reliability of this statement.

        https://hi-news.ru/technology/problemy-s-razrabotkoj-korablya-starship-mogut-privesti-k-bankrotstvu-spacex.html
        https://www.ixbt.com/news/2021/11/30/u-spacex-problemy-ilon-mask-vpervye-zagovoril-o-realnom-riske-bankrotstva.html
        Earlier this month, SpaceX Vice President of Propulsion Will Heltsley and Vice President of Flight and Launch Lee Rosen left the company. Will Heltsley was removed from Raptor development before leaving. Elon Musk noted in his email that the company's management has been digging into the problems since then and has already found out that the circumstances are "much more serious" than Musk previously thought.

        The Raptor production crisis is much worse than it seemed a few weeks ago. We face a real risk of bankruptcy if we fail to achieve at least a bi-weekly Starship launch rate next year.

        Is it actually 20 launches per year, or 4 tons per orbit?
        4 tons of high-tech products.
        Does the earth do that much?
        He described the dire situation for employees the day after Thanksgiving in a corporate email that CNBC received a copy of.
        https://www.rbc.ru/technology_and_media/30/11/2021/61a677559a794721944f0020
        Musk filed for bankruptcy of SpaceX due to problems with the development of engines

        Is it enough?
        1. 0
          28 January 2022 14: 16
          What does Musk's dissatisfaction with the scale of Spaces' production have to do with the Raptor engines? And, from your submission? "They say they do not develop the calculated thrust." And it doesn’t fall short. "Did I say that? These are your words. Which I asked you to confirm with a link. Instead, you divert the conversation. Musk really expressed concern. But firstly, not because of technical problems with the Raptor-1 or Secondly, Musk's statement was made in order to spur the team to speed up the release of products, including the same Raptor-1, which allegedly lacks thrust, according to you.
          Pull up the materiel. The Raptor-1 is fine. Both with aspirated and with a vacuum (especially since the differences there are minimal, only in the geometry of the nozzle). Raptor-2 has even better performance. Including traction. Some still need to reach a pressure of 300 bar in the COP.
          1. -2
            28 January 2022 14: 21
            The 22nd year will fly by without you noticing.
            It’s not long to wait.
            4 weeks have already passed.
        2. 0
          28 January 2022 14: 33
          Quote: Alexey Sommer
          4 tons of high-tech products.


          You can continuously make and display empty satellites-slots: docking stations and batteries with panels or typical booster blocks with fuel can be output on board and then sold either places on slots or services or this iron itself accumulated in space.
          A new profession will appear - space outbid ...
          1. 0
            28 January 2022 14: 35
            You joked?
            1. 0
              28 January 2022 14: 38
              I didn’t joke about slots and overclocking. And even about outbids, the joke will be a joke only until it becomes possible to buy seats and hardware from third parties.
              1. +1
                28 January 2022 15: 58
                Quote: ycuce234-san
                I didn’t joke about slots and overclocking. And even about outbids, the joke will be a joke only until it becomes possible to buy seats and hardware from third parties.

                Why do you think there is no such service now?
                Maybe because no one needs it, for the money that it costs?
                Moreover. Any technique has an expiration date, while the "slot" is sold, it can fail.
                Also, 4 tons of slots is (in a whisper) HUNDREDS of billions of dollars.
                Who will agree to mortify such money in the hope that someone will redeem it?
                Think about it seriously. Space, this is not Yandex GO for you.
                1. +1
                  28 January 2022 16: 59
                  In general, the stages of acceleration and dilution are a popular and widespread space technology. There will definitely be a demand for them. Now cubesats are still in demand, which are very limited in maneuvers due to their compactness and they must be transported by a "shift bus".
                  Those who want a "slot" for themselves will save on design and "communal", as their task is to fit into the purchased standard container.
                  https://naked-science.ru/article/cosmonautics/kosmicheskaya-stupen-ili-zachem-nuzhen-i-kak-rabotaet-razgonnyj-blok
    2. +4
      28 January 2022 11: 11
      Iron logic. And in fact, in theory, air defense systems can bring down everything. Even some Il-76 carrying cargo to some specific point on the globe.
  10. -9
    28 January 2022 10: 11
    We are waiting for the most grandiose shit, from Starship. 100 tons of carrying capacity is not a joke! lol
  11. -7
    28 January 2022 10: 22
    And what will the head of the transport department say about this issue? That is, a missile attack warning system?
    1. +5
      28 January 2022 10: 50
      The same thing that says Falcon-9 launches and landings.
  12. Two
    +2
    28 January 2022 12: 35
    Wait and see! The idea itself is not bad, but the devil is in the details.
  13. 0
    28 January 2022 15: 31
    It’s more pleasant for Rogozin to shoot a movie with a blond fury, clogging the ISS compartment with its untidy hairs.
  14. 0
    28 January 2022 16: 48
    This is an old idea of ​​ballistic transport, which Heinlein exploited with might and main. If you can make the launch cheaper and land the rocket more or less evenly on an unprepared site (it’s pointless on a prepared site, the rocket will be suitable only for disposal, the costs will go into space), it will be very good. But I deeply doubt the feasibility of such work by American hands.
  15. -3
    28 January 2022 17: 41
    descendants of the writer Jules Verne ..............
  16. +1
    28 January 2022 18: 31
    In any case, the idea is interesting and the results of future tests are curious.
  17. +2
    28 January 2022 18: 50
    This resource had an article about mail rockets.
  18. -1
    29 January 2022 02: 33
    In the matter of rocket delivery of goods and equipment, only one circumstance annoys me - statistics. And she says that even one accident per 100 flights is an excellent indicator. No, 1% of losses in a sortie is far from the worst indicator, especially if we are talking only about cargo. But the problem here is the start and end points of the route. The problem with the flight is that, in a good way, the rocket must first be loaded, then refueled, evacuated those who will be engaged in this to a safe distance (and this is with hundreds of tons of fuel and oxidizer on board - at least 3-4 km), but only then launch the rocket. But even if we assume the loading of a fueled rocket, all the same, a few more hours will be added to the flight hour for loading and evacuation. And try to speed up. A rocket is not a Ural, to which you can put whatever you want into the body, how you want to throw it, centering, weight distribution, accurate placement of goods, their fastening, etc. must be observed. etc. And it's not just one hour's work. Moreover, she is very responsible and accurate, especially on a fueled rocket. Look, the same Americans had experience when, during maintenance of the ICBM, the tank was pierced with a fallen key head and made broads. But the worst thing is landing, as the rocket flies to the positions of its troops (otherwise, the meaning of high-speed delivery is lost). And if a failure occurs, it can end with a fall at a speed of several kilometers per second, no less than 200 tons of cargo, rocket design, fuel and oxidizer for landing. And the effect will be approximately commensurate with the strike of an operational-tactical ballistic missile with a special warhead.
  19. -4
    29 January 2022 06: 31
    Musk the Charlatan
    1. -1
      31 January 2022 21: 41
      Just guided by the motto: "Any whim for your money!"
  20. 0
    1 February 2022 15: 41
    Quote: BlackMokona
    Reality is sadder
    "Russian Elon Musk" died due to torture and rape in jail

    A forensic medical examination conducted in February-March showed that Pshenichny did not commit suicide, but died as a result of bodily injuries. The arrested person was tortured, raped, and then strangled. Cut and stab wounds were found on his body, marks from electrical trauma were found in his mouth, in addition, his spine was broken.

    The reason why the engineer was so abused in the pre-trial detention center remained unclear. But before his death, according to Novaya Gazeta, he managed to give his wife three notes asking him not to pay anything to anyone.

    https://lenta.ru/news/2018/04/16/ilonmask/

    This is a terrible story. It is even more terrible that when it comes to my Motherland, such stories are increasingly believed a priori
  21. 0
    27 March 2022 10: 22
    And in this year, Starship will not see space. Reserved window for suborbital flight only. Only one. And there is no certification. Prototypes burn too often. Up to one.
  22. 0
    April 7 2022 13: 48
    This idea is not new. She is already 70 years old. Google Douglas ICARUS / Ithacus. In 1963 they started.
  23. 0
    April 9 2022 08: 36
    The US is definitely going to fight further!
  24. 0
    April 22 2022 13: 59
    There are hundreds of thousands of nonsensical projects in the US that are powered by the printing press that prints the world's reserve currency.
    I think this is one of those projects. Most likely, the project will be closed after the development of the allocated amount.

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