Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to If you had economy of scale, what would be cheapest conventional rocket to get a lot of a mass to orbit?

Your framework of assumptions is completely unrealistic

"Assume" instead the actual conditions that exist here in the real world. It makes your thinking more profitable.

We have satellite demand, best served by large medium launchers. That includes small sat constellations launched in multiple payload launches. It also includes manned launch.

It has been calculated for some time that pressure fed launchers would be cheaper than turbine fed launchers, IF pressure fed launchers can be made to work. They would enjoy economies of scale as would turbine fed or solid, IF pressure fed can be made to work.

Musk has bet tens of millions of his own dollars that pressure fed can be made to work. He has my respect for this. China is waiting to see how pressure fed works, as well as everyone else.

Otherwise, you cancel solid medium lift and recieve economies of scale for your turbine fed line. That leaves solids with the military market, which turbine fed and pressure fed can not handle. Solids also have a role in Heavy Launchers, but the need for Heavy Launchers for satellites or manned is pretty much nonexistent at best, so...

Now who has the best turbine fed launcher? I don't know...

As far as sun shades to counter global warming or some other such scheme requiring large launch mass, I suppose that if the emergency need arose then you could have a demand like you're considering. But in my opinion that "need" is imaginary, and this will become apparent in the next few years.

If sun shades became necessary, large medium lift would appear to be sufficient. The question then would be, as it is now, "Can prssure fed work?"

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