←back to thread

NASA chief suggests SpaceX may be booted from moon mission

(www.cnn.com)
404 points voxleone | 3 comments | 21 Oct 25 12:58 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
cladopa ◴[21 Oct 25 19:15 UTC] No.45660311[source]▶
Oh yeah. Replace the stainless steel by carbon fibre, give it to your pals of Boing and instead of being ready in 2030 for 2.3 billion it will be ready in 2050 for 50 billion.

Much better for making your friends rich.

replies(6): >>45660336 #>>45660615 #>>45661799 #>>45661926 #>>45662413 #>>45663135 #
imtringued ◴[21 Oct 25 19:17 UTC] No.45660336[source]▶
Isn't Rocket Lab doing carbon fibre rockets?
replies(1): >>45660409 #
1. albumen ◴[21 Oct 25 19:22 UTC] No.45660409[source]▶
Carbon fibre second stages that melt/burn up on re-entry.
replies(2): >>45660972 #>>45661371 #
2. consumer451 ◴[21 Oct 25 20:04 UTC] No.45660972[source]▶
Peter Beck says that "we like the black."

The tiny Electron is entirely carbon, isn't it?

Their new Neutron has a fully reusable first stage, also out of carbon fiber. For Neutron, they have the largest automated fiber placement machine known to exist:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zmJdJIlPOr4

3. audunw ◴[21 Oct 25 20:37 UTC] No.45661371[source]▶
And? We still have yet to see whether full re-usability of the second stage is the best approach. The Neutron approach is really interesting, they can make the second stage incredibly light and cheap. Blue Origin claims the economics of a super-cheap disposable second stage, even for as one as large as theirs, is pretty much equal to a more expensive and heavier reusable second stage. (they're developing both in parallel to see where the chips land).