>the fact that we're even considering that as a realistic possibility shows just how badly.
Do we have much to go with to "really consider it", or is it just sensenationalist headlines, as Musk went ahead the accepted orthodoxy on Twitter and content moderation and so "he must pay"?
That would be the same news outlets that built him up as the real life Tony Stark and propped up his quite ordinary companies, one of which is building electric cars like everybody else, just doing it in style as well-off upper-middle class people's toys, and another is doing space tech that was already a thing we were pursuing 40 years ago with a little modern engineering thrown in...
>Why aren’t the other space programs/companies landing rockets?
Economics, pure and simple.
SpaceX was heavily capitalised during an era of easy money, so they have cash to burn advancing this technology. Everyone benefits. But there is no indication they are anywhere near profitability. So why would other space programs do this, when they can reap the benefits (tech and cargo) of a VC and government subsidised company?
Or do you think the SpaceX engineering team is the only one on the planet capable of doing this? I'm sure they're awesome, but that's a stretch.
Perhaps they haven't gotten as good NASA contracts and subsidies as Space X.
Note also how "launching rockets" or even going to the moon and back, was something we routinely did 40 to 50 years ago.
Heck, we even tried reusable rockets, and even had space shuttles. They were cancelled for political reasons, just like moon missions and NASA programs were. Not for lack of progress or technology.
The shuttle being “reusable” is ridiculous when compare with falcon 9 or heavy. The entire booster pack was discarded and the shuttle basically needed to be heavily refurbished…
I’m amazed people in good faith will minimise what SpaceX has done and pretend like “no one else cares”.
NASA has basically zero capability anymore (given they just launch their only rocket) - which was completely disposed of.
Do people really think all these other programs/companies think it’s “better” to throw the rocket out?
Why are rocketlab and others working on recovery and reuse then? Why has blue origin failed to get to orbit? Surely we’ve been doing this for 40 years, what’s wrong with them?
The shuttle SRBs provided most of its thrust and they were certainly recovered, refurbished, and reused. As was the main engine, given that it was attached to the shuttle.
Do we have much to go with to "really consider it", or is it just sensenationalist headlines, as Musk went ahead the accepted orthodoxy on Twitter and content moderation and so "he must pay"?
That would be the same news outlets that built him up as the real life Tony Stark and propped up his quite ordinary companies, one of which is building electric cars like everybody else, just doing it in style as well-off upper-middle class people's toys, and another is doing space tech that was already a thing we were pursuing 40 years ago with a little modern engineering thrown in...