Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) will begin testing on a vertical propulsion landing system later this year, part of a long-term project to evaluate the potential of creating a fully-reusable version of their Falcon 9 launch vehicle. SpaceX believe a fully and rapidly reusable orbital class rocket would provide a critical breakthrough for the human race\u2019s ambition of becoming a multi-planetary species.<\/p>\n
A Rocket Is For Life, Not Just For Launch:<\/p>\n
SpaceX are currently closing in on the February launch of their third Falcon 9 flight, tasked with the historic mission to loft an unmanned Dragon spacecraft on a recently approved combined D2\/D3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Should the spacecraft successfully pass both its D2 and D3 demonstration test requirements, Dragon will be the first commercial vehicle to dock with the orbital outpost.<\/p>\n
The Falcon 9 launch vehicle, however, will not live to see the historic event, following its staging and return to Earth \u2013 at least for the First Stage (the second stage may conduct restart\/reboost tests) \u2013 shortly after the ride uphill.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Z26.jpg\" "\\"Z2\\"")
This is the standard approach for expendable launch vehicles, even for large elements of technically reusable space vehicle systems \u2013 such as the Space Shuttle, which saw her giant External Tank (ET) destroyed via a destructive re-entry over the Indian Ocean, after each successful ascent to orbit.<\/p>\n
Attempts have been made to design Single-Stage-To-Orbit (SSTO) vehicles \u2013 where the entire vehicle avoided any form of staging and returned to Earth \u201cas launched\u201d \u2013 such as the infamous X-33\/VentureStar, which failed to overcome extensive design challenges prior to its cancellation.<\/p>\n
However, SpaceX aren\u2019t looking to redesign the wheel with their reusable ambitions. Instead, they are looking to keep their Falcon 9 launch vehicle design, along with its staging profile, whilst making revolutionary changes to what the expended stages do once they have completed their ascent roles \u2013 in essence, a highly advanced and wider-ranging version of the flyback booster concept.<\/p>\n
These plans were unveiled by SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk back in September of last year, plans which called for an improved Falcon 9, featuring first and second stages that would fly back to the launch site under their own power \u2013 something no other aerospace company has achieved. Mr Musk had previously hinted at such an ambition in 2009.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a very difficult thing to do. Even for an expendable launch vehicle, where you don\u2019t attempt any recovery, you only get maybe two to three percent of your lift-off weight to orbit. That\u2019s not a lot of room for error,\u201d noted Mr Musk during a speech to the National Press Club (*Video Snippet*).<\/p>\n
\u201cNow you say \u2018OK, now let\u2019s make it reusable\u2019. You have to strengthen the stages, add a lot of weight, a lot of thermal protection \u2013 a lot of things that add weight to that vehicle \u2013 and still have a useful payload to orbit. You\u2019ve got to add all that\u2019s necessary to bring the stages back to the launch pad to be able to re-fly them and still have useful payload to orbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has been attempted many times in the past and generally what\u2019s happened is people have concluded that success was not one of the possible outcomes, and the project has been abandoned. It\u2019s a very tough engineering problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Z35.jpg\" "\\"Z3\\"")
During the announcement, a video simulation of the concept \u2013 if not entirely accurate \u2013 outlined how the Falcon 9 would return back to the launch site, ready for safing ahead for reuse on a latter mission. (*Video Here*)<\/p>\n
With a slightly controversial, slightly clever, yet entirely apt use of British band \u201cMuse\u201d \u2013 well-known to be space flight fans \u2013 and their track \u201cUprising\u201d as the soundtrack to the video, a visibly modified version of the Falcon 9\/Dragon combination can be seen launching uphill, prior to a nominal First Stage MECO (Main Engine Cut Off) and staging.<\/p>\n
However, this is the point where \u201cnominal\u201d turns into \u201cfascinating\u201d as the entire first stage rotates 180 degrees via Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters, and then reignites three of its nine engines to \u201cboost back\u201d the near-empty stage back to the launch site.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Z46.jpg\" "\\"Z4\\"")
Descending back to the launch pad, the First Stage is seen firing one engine to decelerate to a pinpoint landing on its specially made landing legs, in an area depicted in the video as the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) Skid Strip runway complex.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a design that on paper \u2013 doing the calculations and simulations \u2013 that does work. Now we have to make sure those simulations and reality agree. Because generally when they don\u2019t, reality wins. So that\u2019s to be determined,\u201d noted Mr Musk.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe simulation shows a general idea of what we plan to do, which is to basically put a First Stage out to stage separation, turn the stage around, relight the engines, boost back to the launch pad \u2013 and land propulsively on landing legs.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Z54.jpg\" "\\"Z5\\"")
With the Upper Stage completing its orbital insertion burn, prior to spacecraft separation, thrusters once again rotate the stage 180 degrees, aft forward, ahead of engine restart for another burn to deorbit the Upper Stage.<\/p>\n
Protected by what appears to be a version of the PICA-X (a proprietary variant of NASA\u2019s phenolic impregnated carbon ablator (PICA) material) heat shield used by the Dragon spacecraft, the Upper Stage dives back to Earth, protected against the heat and force of re-entry, prior to using what is depicted as four thrusters to decelerate and land on its landing legs.<\/p>\n
During the sequence, the landing legs are shown in several configurations, both extended \u2013 to allow for the Upper Stage Nozzle to complete its burn, as well as folded inwards \u2013 to protect against the forces of re-entry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the Upper Stage, after dropping off the satellite or spacecraft, we do a deorbit burn, re-enter \u2013 you need a quite powerful heat shield \u2013 and steer aerodynamically back to the launch pad, landing propulsively on landing legs,\u201d added Mr Musk. \u201c(Also worth noting,) you don\u2019t need wings to steer aerodynamically, you just need some lift over drag numbers and lift vector.\u201d<\/p>\n
Click here for recent Dragon Articles: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/tag\/dragon\/<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Z62.jpg\" "\\"Z6\\"")
With Dragon completing its mission, the capsule re-enters as expected \u2013 as much as Dragon still has one unique feature to present via its propulsive landing system, an integrated hardware element which also provides the launch abort capability during ascent.<\/p>\n
While a backup parachute system will be available in the event of any issues, the sum total of the overall changes results in the entire launch vehicle and spacecraft hardware \u2013 minus fuel and original upmass payload \u2013 returning to Earth to be reused.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t sure it could be solved, but relatively recently \u2013 in the last 12 months or so \u2013 I\u2019ve come the conclusion it can be solved and SpaceX is going to try and do it,\u201d Mr Musk claimed. \u201cWe could fail, I\u2019m not saying we\u2019re certain of success, but we\u2019re going to try to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Upcoming Development For F9r And Merlin 1D:<\/p>\n
The first element of testing the simulations with real hardware will begin via a technology test bed called \u201cGrasshopper\u201d. This concept \u2013 per Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) information \u2013 points to a single-engine Falcon 9 First Stage with its own landing legs.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Z111.jpg\" "\\"Z11\\"")
As confirmed by SpaceX in a response to NASASpaceflight.com, the company will begin testing on their vertical propulsion landing system for the Falcon 9 Reusable project later this year \u2013 a project they acknowledge is a long-term effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will begin testing our vertical propulsion landing system later this year. This is the research and development effort designed to help us learn more about propulsive landing systems to advance plans for producing reusable rockets,\u201d noted SpaceX.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a long-term project. SpaceX must successfully complete extensive testing before we will see reusable vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n
The long-term nature of the project should place SpaceX in a good position for success, especially as they are continuing to advance and improve the performance of their in-house hardware, most notably their engines.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Z83.jpg\" "\\"Z8\\"")
The Falcon 9 currently employs nine \u201cSpaceX designed and built\u201d Merlin main engines on the First Stage \u2013 sporting a single shaft. propellent fed, dual impeller turbo-pump, operating on a gas generator cycle which also provides the high pressure kerosene for the hydraulic actuators, which then recycles into the low pressure inlet.<\/p>\n
The turbo-pump also provides roll control by actuating the turbine exhaust nozzle on the single second stage MVac engine.<\/p>\n
In a response to NASASpaceflight.com, SpaceX note that an upcoming upgrades to the engine (Merlin 1D) will provide a vast improvement in performance, reliability and manufacturability \u2013 all of which could provide a timely boost to aiding the potential for success for the fully reusable Falcon 9.<\/p>\n
\u201cIncreased reliability: Simplified design by eliminating components and sub-assemblies. Increased fatigue life. Increased chamber and nozzle thermal margins,\u201d noted SpaceX in listing the improvements in work.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Z91.jpg\" "\\"Z9\\"")
\u201cImproved Performance: Thrust increased from 95,000 lbf (sea level) to 140,000 lbf (sea level). Added throttle capability for range from 70-100 percent. Currently, it is necessary to shut off two engines during ascent. The Merlin 1D will make it possible to throttle all engines. Structure was removed from the engine to make it lighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cImproved Manufacturability: Simplified design to use lower cost manufacturing techniques. Reduced touch labor and parts count. Increased in-house production at SpaceX.\u201d<\/p>\n
No specific date has been given for when such improvements will come on line, or if they would require debuting on a satellite launch, as opposed to a mission under NASA\u2019s commercial contract.<\/p>\n
A Breakthrough For Humans:<\/p>\n
With the obvious challenge of potentially trading some of the vital upmass ratios, via the extra mass required for the additions to enable the launch vehicle to become reusable, Mr Musk pointed out just how important a breakthrough of this nature would be, by reducing the costs of a launch vehicle system, to a point it provides an enabler for the viability of a human settlement on Mars.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pivotal breakthrough that some company has to come up with (to make life multi-planetary), is a fully and rapidly reusable orbit class rocket. We\u2019ll see if this works, but it\u2019ll certainly be an exciting journey \u2013 and if it does work, it\u2019ll be pretty huge,\u201d noted Mr Musk at the September presser, before providing an example of the cost differential between expendable and reusable vehicles.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Z10.jpg\" "\\"Z10\\"")
\u201cIf you look at the cost of a Falcon 9 rocket \u2013 which is a big, one million pounds of thrust rocket, yet the lowest cost rocket in the world, it\u2019s still 50-60 million dollars. But if you look at the cost of the fuel and oxygen and so forth, it\u2019s only about 200,000 dollars. So obviously if we can reuse the rocket, say one thousand times, then that would make the capital cost of the rocket per launch only about 50,000 dollars.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Bar) maintenance costs (etc), it would allow for a hundred fold reduction in launch costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
With commercial space now preparing to take over the access to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), many people have compared the current transition for the United States in space to that of the commercialization of other transportation sectors.<\/p>\n
Mr Musk used a similar example when referring to the reusability of hardware for one of the more common modes of transport.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a pretty obvious thing when applied to any other mode of transport. You can imagine if planes were not reusable, very few people would fly. A 747 is about $300 million, you\u2019d need two of them for a round trip, yet I don\u2019t think anyone has paid half a billion dollars to fly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese planes can be used tens of thousands of times and all you\u2019re really paying for is fuel, pilots and incidentals \u2013 so the cost is relatively small. That\u2019s why it\u2019s such a giant difference, and that\u2019s why I think a full reusable rocket is fundamentally required for life to become multi-planetary, for us to establish life on Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Click here for SpaceX News articles: http:\/\/forum.nasaspaceflight.com\/index.php?topic=21862.0<\/p>\n
While Mars remains a stated intention for SpaceX\u2019s future aspirations, near-term success with their Falcon 9 and Dragon systems \u2013 not least under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) and CCDev (Commercial Crew Development) contracts \u2013 will provide the experience and the confidence for a company which has successfully become a household name in the global space flight arena.<\/p>\n
(Images via SpaceX, National Press Club and NASA)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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