SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation) is an American company that makes and launches space rockets. It was founded by Ilon Musk (CEO Tesla) in 2002 to reduce global spending on space flights..
SpaceX is involved in many NASA programs, and with their submission developed the first private ship – Dragon. All engine and system tests are conducted in Texas, and launch sites are provided by spaceports and air bases in California, Florida, and Cape Canaveral. SpaceX managed to conclude more than 100 private and public contracts for launches.
SpaceX Feature
This is the first private company that competes with the state in the space industry. SpaceX conducts research for its money. They launch rockets cheaper, unlike NASA or Roskosmos. It is planned that in the future one launch will cost only $ 5-7 million. Now this amount is about $ 60 million for private launches and $ 80-120 million for government.
SpaceX makes reusable spacecraft. The stages of the launch vehicles return after undocking to the ground and can be used again, so the launch cost is halved. To further reduce prices, SpaceX came up with the first stages landing on floating platforms, which are controlled remotely and without crew.
Despite its 6,000th staff (for example, NASA has 18,000 employees), SpaceX itself designs, builds, tests rockets and develops engines for its carriers.
SpaceX Mission
The company supplies space stations, launches satellites, and carries out scientific and military missions of the US government. SpaceX flies to Earth orbit, but Elon Musk dreams of colonizing Mars and sending tourists to the moon.
The major goal of SpaceX is to develop an interplanetary transport system. To do this, they are developing reusable space transport. Starships should not only make a colony on Mars, but also carry people from anywhere in the world to no more than 40 minutes.
Another mission is to give the whole planet high-speed Internet. For this, the company wants to place in 2019-2024. almost 4.5 thousand satellites in low Earth orbit.
SpaceX: Launches
The largest SpaceX series of launch vehicles is Falcon (the so-called Star Wars starship).
Falcon 1
This is the first private light class rocket to enter Earth orbit. In the first stage of the rocket there was a parachute system, due to which the structure should land in the ocean after undocking. But in five starts, the return of the first stage did not take place.
The first launch – March 24, 2006 – ended in failure due to a fire: kerosene started to leak out of the engine (aluminum union nuts from the pressure sensor rusted), and the rocket crashed into the water.
The second launch – March 21, 2007 – failed due to problems with the second stage (its engine turned off at 474 seconds of flight).
The third launch, August 3, 2008, also ended in failure: for the first time, the improved Merlin 1C engine was used, and not the Merlin 1A, as before, and the team did not take into account its impulse of aftereffect. As a result, the first step hit the second during undocking.
The fourth launch of the launch vehicle was successful. September 28, 2008 Falcon 1 delivered a payload mockup into orbit.
The final launch – July 14, 2009 – culminated in the successful delivery to orbit of the first Malaysian commercial satellite RazakSAT.
Falcon 9
A group of disposable and reusable heavy missiles. The number “9” indicates the number of liquid engines in the first stage. Since the first launch (and there were a total of 70), the rocket has survived several modifications. The first flight was July 4, 2010.
There were few major failures with the launches of the Falcon 9. On June 28, 2015, a flight anomaly occurred – the gas cylinder mounting stand collapsed and a helium leak occurred. The pressure in the tank increased and the rocket exploded.
September 1, 2016 at the launch pad SpaceX (Cape Canaveral) a tank of liquid oxygen exploded. A fire destroyed a rocket 2 days before its official launch.
A distinctive feature of the Falcon 9 is the first step, which returns to Earth and can be reused. The successful landing of the step on the water took place on April 18, 2014.
On April 8, 2016, for the first time in the history of rocket science, a stage landed on an offshore (floating) platform..
Falcon heavy
Super-heavy launch vehicle based on the Falcon 9 with a modified first stage and an additional zero stage. This is one of the heaviest, most powerful and lifting rockets in history with a record number of marching engines (27 simultaneously operating). The development was announced in 2011, but the debut launch was postponed many times.
The rocket was created to send people into space (organizing missions to Mars and the Moon), but now manned flights are not provided for it – the emphasis is on the delivery of goods, for example, artificial terrestrial satellites or interplanetary stations. The price of one launch is $ 150 million (depending on configuration).
The first test launch – February 6, 2018 – was successful. Side boosters (zero stage) landed on landing sites, but the central unit could not land on a floating platform.
The second stage brought the Arch 5D storage medium (a disk with a shelf life of 14 billion years) and the Tesla Roadster electric car with a mannequin into low Earth orbit. Now the electric car “travels” through outer space near Mars.
The second rocket launch – April 11, 2019 – was commercial. Arabsat 6A communications satellite for Saudi Arabia was launched into orbit. Side accelerators and the central unit have successfully completed landing on their proposed sites, although the first stage has capsized due to strong waves.
The next scheduled launch of the Falcon Heavy is June 22, 2019. The company promises to deliver 24 satellites in three different orbits..
Spaceship SpaceX – Dragon
This transport ship has become a true innovation SpaceX. According to data for 2019, Dragon is the only spacecraft that sends payload to the ISS and returns it from the station to Earth.
The first ship layout was installed on the second stage of the Falcon. In December 2010, a rocket with Dragon on board twice circled the Earth, and Dragon’s ability to transfer from one orbit to another was demonstrated. The cheese head served as a payload in this launch..
In 2012, Dragon visited the ISS and brought the crew of the station 520 kg of cargo. Then the ship returned and ended up in the Pacific waters. In the same year he made a commercial flight, delivering materials for scientific experiments and the results of studies already carried out at the station. In 2017, Dragon was first launched with a re-capsule..
In 2014, they announced a new ship model – Dragon V2. This is not only a cargo, but also a passenger modification (manned), with a crew of up to 7 people.
The first unmanned flight was conducted in March 2019. A test flight with the crew is scheduled for the summer of 2019. This space travel is estimated at $ 150 million..
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How does SpaceX’s feature revolutionize space exploration and what impact will it have on future space missions?
SpaceX’s feature of reusable rockets revolutionizes space exploration by drastically reducing the cost of sending payloads and humans into space. Traditional rockets were discarded after a single use, but SpaceX’s ability to land and reuse their rockets allows for significant cost savings. This breakthrough will make space exploration and satellite launches more affordable and accessible to both public and private entities.
The impact of this innovation on future space missions is vast. The cost reduction enables more frequent and ambitious missions, such as explorations to other planets, colonization efforts, and the establishment of sustained lunar outposts. Additionally, it promotes the development of new technologies, as the lower cost allows for more experimentation and iteration.
SpaceX’s reusable rockets also enable rapid turnaround time between launches, decreasing the launch wait period and enabling space agencies and private companies to deploy satellites, conduct scientific experiments, and install critical infrastructure more efficiently. This enhanced capability will foster advancements in telecommunications, weather monitoring, navigation systems, and contribute to the growth of space-based industries.
Overall, SpaceX’s reusable rockets signify a paradigm shift in space exploration, making it more economically viable, extending our reach into space, and opening the door to a future where space missions become routine.