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SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

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Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#71
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

DOD is already talking to SpaceX for rapid cargo transport applications. “A military team is working with SpaceX to flesh out the prospect of shipping routes that pass through space, the head of U.S. Transportation Command said Oct. 7.” “That group could demonstrate as early as 2021 whether quickly sending cargo around the globe via space is feasible, Army Gen. Stephen R. Lyons said.” “Think about moving the equivale…

Anywhere on the globe in less than an hour... plus months of planning and days of preparing the launch vehicle. How fast can one "scramble" a Starship off the ground?

Less than one hour turnaround. Three flights per day per Starship. According to Elon (who can be admittedly optimistic): https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50346.0

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume fast turn around times from the Boca Chica (Texas) spaceport. Pick whichever Starship SN is refreshed and ready to go. Less Space Shuttle, more Southwest Airlines. Vehicles on the ground are vehicles not generating revenue.

Problem is you kinda need a spaceport at the destination so that the starship can get back to you.

You might be able to have a hub and spoke model, where the Starship drops off its cargo then hops back to a hub for stacking on another Super Heavy.

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume fast turn around times from the Boca Chica (Texas) spaceport. Pick whichever Starship SN is refreshed and ready to go. Less Space Shuttle, more Southwest Airlines. Vehicles on the ground are vehicles not generating revenue.

Problem is you kinda need a spaceport at the destination so that the starship can get back to you.

[deleted]

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume fast turn around times from the Boca Chica (Texas) spaceport. Pick whichever Starship SN is refreshed and ready to go. Less Space Shuttle, more Southwest Airlines. Vehicles on the ground are vehicles not generating revenue.

Problem is you kinda need a spaceport at the destination so that the starship can get back to you.

[deleted]

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#75
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

DOD is already talking to SpaceX for rapid cargo transport applications. “A military team is working with SpaceX to flesh out the prospect of shipping routes that pass through space, the head of U.S. Transportation Command said Oct. 7.” “That group could demonstrate as early as 2021 whether quickly sending cargo around the globe via space is feasible, Army Gen. Stephen R. Lyons said.” “Think about moving the equivale…

Anywhere on the globe in less than an hour... plus months of planning and days of preparing the launch vehicle. How fast can one "scramble" a Starship off the ground?

The cost is likely to fall in the 1%-3% range of that of a C-17. The War Department could buy 100-200 of them for the cost of 2 C-17 Globemaster IIIs.

I would be interested to see if some form of portable, quickly constructed landing pad could be deployed, much like the mats used as runways during WWII.

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#77
post #44

"The cargo version can also be used for rapid point-to-point Earth transport." Why no one is talking about this. This will be game changer if can be done with bigger payload. There are models created earlier that using rocket technology/mechanism, LA-HK can be reached in 2 hours. This can have huge impact on avionics esp with trade.

Ask yourself -- what object would be so massive and heavy and yet needed with such immediacy that a company would be willing to pay millions -- perhaps beyond the cost of the object itself -- to ship in a sub-orbital manner? Large and critical infrastructure components like generators, large piping and ducts, etc. are already transported at a fraction of the cost by the likes of the AN-225 Mirya within a matter of ho…

Military definitely. Commercial passenger travel possibly.

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#78

All the references like "Please contact sales@spacex.com to evaluate how Starship can meet your unique needs" are pretty funny. I'd like to imagine some mid-level manager working on his little satellite project browsing this pamphlet, thinking, "Hmmm, this 'SpaceX' company looks interesting. Let me send them an email."

I had a similar giggle reading about the "rideshare opportunities" > This large deployable envelope allows for the design of novel payloads, rideshare opportunities and entire constellations of satellites on a single launch. I'm totally looking forward to hailing a Starship in the Uber app. (I actually don't know what they mean by ridesharing)

In the context of space launches, ridesharing means that multiple satellites share a single launch as opposed to the traditional 1 satellite 1 rocket approach.

All Starlink satellites have been launched via ridesharing missions, with ~60 satellites per launch (and sometimes with satellites from other companies!).

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#79
post #44

"The cargo version can also be used for rapid point-to-point Earth transport." Why no one is talking about this. This will be game changer if can be done with bigger payload. There are models created earlier that using rocket technology/mechanism, LA-HK can be reached in 2 hours. This can have huge impact on avionics esp with trade.

Ask yourself -- what object would be so massive and heavy and yet needed with such immediacy that a company would be willing to pay millions -- perhaps beyond the cost of the object itself -- to ship in a sub-orbital manner? Large and critical infrastructure components like generators, large piping and ducts, etc. are already transported at a fraction of the cost by the likes of the AN-225 Mirya within a matter of ho…

This could be a case of supply creating its own demand.

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#80
post #10

All the references like "Please contact sales@spacex.com to evaluate how Starship can meet your unique needs" are pretty funny. I'd like to imagine some mid-level manager working on his little satellite project browsing this pamphlet, thinking, "Hmmm, this 'SpaceX' company looks interesting. Let me send them an email."

I'm curious who his biggest customers will be?

There aren't enough customers to justify building something like Starship, so SpaceX created their own biggest customer with Starlink.

They are also hoping to provide Earth-to-Earth passenger service to compete with airlines on long distance routes, which would be orders of magnitude more launches than any other use. It seems quite unlikely that they could compete on safety though.

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