标题: The New Space Industry (II) [打印本页] 作者: choi 时间: 5-24-2025 11:18 标题: The New Space Industry (II) 本帖最后由 choi 于 5-28-2025 08:22 编辑
(2) The New Space Industry (II) | Rockets Galore; Can anyone realistically challenge SpaceX’s launch supremacy? The Economist, Mar 15, 2025, at page 66.
Note:
(a) A paradigm example of waste that Elon Musk should aim at is NASA's "Space Launch System (SLS), a rocket designed to carry 95-tonne payloads into orbit to support America's plan to return astronauts to the Moon. * * * whether it [SLS] lives or dies makes no practical difference to his [Musk's] armlock on America's space-launch industry. SpaceX's actual main challenger at the moment is Blue Origin, a firm founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000, 18 months before SpaceX's formation in 2002. Blue Origin has not yet enjoyed SpaceX's stellar success. Its current product, New Shepard, is a toy. (It cannot reach orbit. It merely carries rich tourists above the Karman line, 100km up [from sea level], which is the official boundary of outer space.) But that will soon change. The firm is now conducting prelaunch tests on New Glenn, a rocket both reusable and orbital. If all goes
well, a prototype will lift off from a specially built pad at Cape Canaveral sometime in the next few weeks. * * * Whether New Glenns will be produced in the sort of quantities, and achieve the turn around times, planned for Starships, remains to be seen."
(i) Space Launch System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System
(photo (to see what it looks like)/ "SLS is designed to launch the crewed Orion spacecraft on a trans-lunar trajectory [ie, Hohmann transfer]. The first (and so far only) SLS launch was the uncrewed Artemis I, which took place on 16 November 2022")
(ii) There are many ways to do an armlock -- search images.google.com with armlock -- but it is obvious to me that the vanquished's the other arm is free, which may wreak havoc (on the one who does the armlock).
(iii) Blue Origin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Origin
(is "headquartered in Kent [a southern suburb of Seattle], Washington. The company operates the suborbital New Shepard rocket and the heavy-lift New Glenn rocket. * * * In 2021, New Shepard completed its first crewed mission with Bezos himself on board, crossing the Kármán line * * * ")
(iv) "Kármán line * * * has no distinct physical significance, in that there is a rather gradual difference between the characteristics of the atmosphere at the line" en.wikipedia.org for "Kármán line." (Ie, Kármán line is arbitrarily demarked.)
(v) "New Shepard[] is a toy. (It cannot reach orbit."
(A) New Shepard is a single-stage, reusable rocket that was named after Alan Shepard, the first American and second person to travel into space on May 5, 1961, following Soviet Yuri Gagarin on Apr 12, 1961 -- both men orbited inside a spacecraft solo. But there was a critical difference. see Alan Shepard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Shepard
("Unlike Gagarin's 108-minute orbital flight in a Vostok spacecraft three times the size of Freedom 7,[71] Shepard stayed on a suborbital trajectory for the 15-minute flight, which reached an altitude of 101.2 nautical miles (116.5 statute miles; 187.4 kilometers)" )
Freedom 7 was the space capsule Shepard was in and had named.
(B) "The first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines, while the second stage relies on two BE-3U engines, all designed and built in-house by Blue Origin. * * * The rocket is named in honor of NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth [on Feb 20, 1962]. * * * Its maiden flight took place on 16 January 2025 * * * New Glenn's first stage is designed to be reusable and land on a barge called Landing Platform Vessel 1. New Glenn has not yet achieved a booster landing." en.wikipedia.org for "New Glenn." (The "booster: is the first stage. Note the difference between the design (meant to be reusable) and reality (not having tried to harvest)
• In the "Gagarin's 108-minute orbital flight" and "Glenn [as] the first American to orbit Earth," both "orbit" refers to LEO ("160 km (100 mi) to 2,000 km (1,200 mi) above mean sea level": en.wikipedia.org for "geocentric orbit"). See Vostok programme https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_programme
("was a Soviet human spaceflight project to put the first Soviet cosmonauts into low Earth orbit. Competing with the United States Project Mercury, it succeeded in placing the first human into space, Yuri Gagarin, in a single orbit in Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961")
• See also geocentric orbit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geocentric_orbit
(section 2 Types: transatmospheric orbit (TAO) and low Earth orbit (LEO) -- the former experiences atmospheric drag, causing orbital decay (and drifting onto Earth).
(b)
(i) About Blue Origin. Blue Origin, undated https://www.blueorigin.com/about-blue
("Blue Origin means 'Earth.' We envision a future where millions of people will live and work in space with a single-minded purpose: to restore and sustain Earth, our blue origin")
(ii) The Foundation for a New Era; New Glenn. Blue Origin, undated https://www.blueorigin.com/new-glenn
Quote:
"Twice the Volume [which is sectional heading:] Seven meters [in diameter]. With twice the volume of smaller, five-meter class payload fairings * * *
"Liquid Hydrogen-Powered Upper Stage Optimized for Performance[:] New Glenn will launch payloads into high-energy orbits. It can carry more than 13 metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) and 45 metric tons to low Earth orbit (LEO).
"Reusable First Stage Powered by Seven BE-4 Engines[(BE stand for Blue Engine):]
Powerful[:] The vehicle is powered by seven of the most powerful liquid oxygen (LOX) / liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled oxygen-rich staged combustion engines ever flown. Each BE-4 engine is reusable and generates 550,000 lbf (2,450 kN) thrust at sea level with deep-throttle capability.
Proven[:] Two BE-4 engines drive the first stage of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan vehicle.
Efficient Propellants[:] LNG is higher-performing and cleaner-burning than most traditional kerosene-burning engines, thereby improving engine reusability and requiring less total fuel for the same performance.
"Two Restartable BE-3Us Power the Second Stage[:]
High-Performing[:] Each of the two BE-3U engines generates 175,000 lbf (778 kN) of vacuum thrust. Coupled with higher thrust and performance, the engine’s in-space restart capabilities promote versatility for New Glenn’s second stage.
Pedigree[:] Leverages more than a decade of operational experience with liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen cryogenic rocket engines, including dozens of successful New Shepard launches flown with the BE-3PM engine.
American-Made[:] Assembled at Blue Origin's engines manufacturing facility in Huntsville, AL.
"At more than 320 ft (98 m) tall, New Glenn is one of the largest vehicles ever built.
Seven-Meter Fairing[:] Twice the volume of traditional five-meter class fairings means room for bigger constellations and larger payloads. [New Shepard is five meters in diameter.]
Upper Stage[:] Hydrogen-powered upper stage designed for demanding, highly energetic missions to low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), and geosynchronous orbit (GEO). [This suggests that to reach any of these orbits it depends on the second, not the first, stage/]
BE-3U[:] Built on New Shepard’s BE-3PM flight heritage, the BE-3U is optimized to operate in the vacuum of space. Its high thrust and high specific impulse enable New Glenn’s upper stage to accomplish a wide variety of missions.
Fins[:] Four actuated aerodynamic control surfaces for attitude adjustment during the first stage’s descent and landing.
"Reusable First Stage[:]
Strakes[:] Wing-like to provide lift and cross-range for the reusable first stage during its descent back to Earth.
Landing Gear[:] Aft module houses six hydraulically-actuated legs to support and secure the first stage during landing on a moving platform.
(A) payload fairing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payload_fairing
(section 4 Image gallery: photo 2 from the left with the caption: "An Atlas 3 carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload in its [white] fairing, ready for launch"
(B)strake (aeronautics) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strake_(aeronautics)
(iii)
(A) Blue Origin's press release: "New Glenn's inaugural mission (NG-1) * * * New Glenn’s seven BE-4 engines ignited on January 16, 2025, at 2:03 a.m. EST (0703 UTC) from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The second stage is in its final orbit following two successful burns of the BE-3U engines. The Blue Ring Pathfinder [which was experimental payload Blue Origin built built for a Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit program] is receiving data and performing well. We lost the booster during descent."
(B) "Blue Origin said in a statement after the mission that New Glenn's payload, an in-house test satellite, 'is receiving data and performing well.' The rocket's reusable first stage booster was due to land on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean after separating from its second stage, but failed to make that landing, [Blue Origin VP Ariane] Cornell confirmed. Telemetry from the booster blacked out minutes after liftoff." Joey Roulette, Bezos' Blue Origin Reaches Orbit in First New Glenn Launch, Misses Booster Landing. Reuters, Jan 16, 2025.
(C) All reports in the Web said only that the unmanned New Glenn -- remarkable, being successful in its first try -- reached "orbit" or "intended orbit" without being specific.
HOWEVER:
New Glenn Mission NG-1. Blue Origin, undated https://www.blueorigin.com/missions/ng-1
("NG-1 Flight Profile [which is sectional heading:] New Glenn lifts off from Launch Complex 36. Following separation, the first stage autonomously descends to a landing platform located several hundred miles downrange in the Atlantic. The two BE-3Us ignite, propelling the second stage into space. The fairing separates and the Blue Ring Pathfinder payload, which will remain affixed to the second stage throughout the duration of the mission, will be placed in a medium Earth orbit (MEO)" )
, whose Flight-Profile illustration, at the right, also shows the intended orbit of the payload. I say "intended" because the illustration also predicted retrieval of the booster.
• Earth's orbit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_orbit
("in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from above the Northern Hemisphere")
Thus rocket launch tends to follow Earths (counterclockwise) revolution (as this way, some energy is saved during liftoff).
• apsis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsis
(plural apsides; "Apsides pertaining to geocentric orbits, orbits around the Earth, are at the farthest point called the apogee, and at the nearest point the perigee, like with orbits of satellites and the Moon around Earth"/ section 2 Terminology, section 2.1 Etymology: "The words are formed from the prefixes peri- (Greek: περί, near) and apo- (Greek: ἀπό, away from) * * * The [Greek] suffixes -gee [is] frequently used in the astronomical literature when referring to the Earth")
• apsis (n; etymology, Ancient Greek of the same spelling means a "loop") https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apsis
(pronunciations for both apsis and its plural)
• The noun apogee has accent on the first syllable, as does perigee. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perigee
• The medium Earth orbit (MEO) has altitude "between 2,000 and 35,786 km (1,243 and 22,236 mi) above sea level." en.wikipedia.org for "medium Earth orbit." ND-1 payload has apogee and perigee BOTH within the limits.
• orbital inclination https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_inclination
("For a satellite orbiting the Earth directly above the Equator [all the time], the plane of the satellite's orbit is the same as the Earth's equatorial plane, and the satellite's orbital inclination is 0°")
(iv)
(A) Blue Origin's New Shepard Rocket Completes 31st Mission To Space. Blue Origin, Apr 14, 2025 (under the heading "news").
The all-female space flight lasted 11 minutes inside the capsule.
(B) New Shepard Mission NS-31; Blue Origin successfully completed its 11th human spaceflight for the New Shepard program. The astronaut crew included Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez. Blue Origin, undated https://www.blueorigin.com/missions/ns-31
Do the all-female Blue Origin rocket crew count as astronauts? And what Katy Perry sang in space SkyNews, Apr 14, 2025. https://news.sky.com/story/will- ... astronauts-13345042
View only the illustration headlined with "New Shepard Flight Profile."
(v) "Whether New Glenns will be produced in the sort of quantities, and achieve the turn around times, planned for Starships, remains to be seen."
English dictionary:
* turnaround (n):
"1a: the action of receiving, processing, and returning something <24-hour turnaround time on most orders>
b: the process of readying a transport vehicle for departure after its arrival also : the time spent in this process <a quick turnaround between flights>" https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turnaround
(c) "United Launch Alliance's (ULA's) Vulcan Centaur. The ULA is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing * * * Vulcan Centaur lifts 27 tonnes, making it a theoretical competitor of Falcon 9. But it has seen only one lift-off since its maiden flight in January. And it will not be reusable. Moreover, it depends on Blue Origin for its first-stage engines—the BE-4 motors which that firm developed to launch New Glenn. * * * Northrop Grumman operates on its own recognisance as well. Its Antares system can lift eight tonnes"
(i) Vulcan (mythology) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_(mythology)
(section 5 Hypothetical origin)
is Roman god of fire.
(ii) Vulcan Centaur "has seen only one lift-off since its maiden flight in January [Jan 8, 2024; payload, the unmanned Peregrine lunar lander, subsequently went on to moon]." Meanwhile, Blue Origin's Project Kuiper, hopefully a rival to Starlink, was first launched on ULA Atlas V rocket (different from Vulcan Centaur) from Cape Canaveral on Apr 28, 2025.
(iii) English dictionary:
* recognisance (n):
• "an obligation of record entered into before a court or magistrate requiring the performance of an act (such as appearance in court) usually under penalty of a money forfeiture <released on his own recognizance>" https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recognizance
• "a promise made by someone in a court of law, especially a promise to return to the court at a later date. If they break their promise, they have to pay money to the court" https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/recognizance
(iv)
(A) Antares https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antares
(table: Evolutionary stage red supergiant/ "Antares derives from the Ancient Greek Ἀντάρης,[17] meaning 'rival to Ares,' due to the similarity of its reddish hue to the appearance of the planet Mars")
, whose Chinese name is 心宿二.
• The Ἀντάρης is romanized as Antares.
• Ares is Greek god of war https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ares
(section 6 Mars)
, whose roman counterpart is Mars.
(B) Antares https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Antares
(pronunciation)
(d) "ABL Space Systems in El Segundo, to the north-west of Long Beach, likewise failed in 2023 and has scaled back its ambitions from being an all-comers commercial service to focusing on missile defence."
English dictionary:
* all-comers (adj): "not restricted to a particular group or category of participants : OPEN" https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all-comers
(e) my bonus: Long March (rocket family) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_March_(rocket_family)
(the most powerful so far is Long March 5: "Long March 5 has a low-Earth orbit carrying capacity of 25,000 kilograms" or 25 tonnes/ section 4 Variants: cz is the same as Long March, the former is pinyin and the latter, English)
