Musk unleashed an even more magical innovation: The Overweight Hawk wants to disrupt the existing way rockets are recycled
Innovation pioneers are always breaking through and challenging the impossible. As we wait for SN9 to fly high, Musk recently threw a new idea in the Twitter circle "Aerial Grab Super Heavy Rocket", which caused countless fans to bend their backs.
Why did SpaceX abandon the falcon 9 mature technology and change the recovery rocket model?
How hard is it to grab a super heavy rocket in the air?
How to solve technical problems according to SpaceX's thinking?
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SpaceX announced in 2013
Imagine landing the Falcon 9 rocket and returning
To implement this rather complicated new idea
They intend to land the rocket on an unmanned platform at sea
This is unprecedented
At the time, it was considered impossible
But once it succeeds, it's a huge leap forward in rocket reuse
So SpaceX began various flight tests
Figure out how to get the rocket to land
After several years of exploration, there were multiple rocket explosions
Finally turning the impossible into a possibility
It's been 5 years since the first historic landing
Falcon 9's iconic landing has become commonplace
With more and more launches
SpaceX is perfecting this incredible space innovation day by day
And save a lot of money
Each Falcon 9 reuses the recovery
That means saving money on a brand new rocket
Saved SpaceX more than $1.4 billion over the past 5 years
To this day, SpaceX remains the only one in the world
Launchers with the ability to vertically recover and reuse orbital stage rockets
Now SpaceX is going all out to develop starships
This is the next evolutionary version of their crazy space idea
As starship followers we have witnessed incredible spectacles
The recent SN8 test flight was one of the craziest things SpX has ever done
This suggests that the ambitious starship program is more reliable than most people think
SpaceX has done too many crazy things in the last 5 years
This is probably the craziest until recently
Musk tweeted a new idea: a new type of recovery super heavy rocket
Not the way it used to land
Imagine a rocket grabbing in space-time close to the launcher
"Unprecedented Flying" Line: A completely different way of flying
"Unprecedented Flying" Line: This is a completely different way of flying
Although it sounds like another crazy idea from Musk
Aerial grab rockets
But SpaceX isn't the only one it wants to do
Rocket Lab is preparing to capture parachute-dropped electron rockets with helicopters
Back in the 1960s, NASA considered using giant helicopters
A helicopter with a propeller over 100 meters long
Capture the first stage of The Saturn V in the air
In comparison, the SpaceX idea is not so crazy
We've determined how SpaceX wants to catch the super heavy rocket
But wonder why it's done
We need to understand the starship target first
The starship system consists of two stages:
The first stage is called a super heavy rocket
The second class is called a starship
When the super heavy rocket lifts the starship out of the thickest atmosphere
The first and second stage separation Super Heavy rockets returned like the Falcon 9
The starship then completes its orbital work
Or the destination is the moon, Mars
In order to achieve the starship's long-distance navigation goals
Use parking track space refueling
In addition, the end-to-end ultra-high-speed travel of the earth is achieved through the starship
This means that the starship needs to perform multiple flights per day
The flight spacing is comparable to that of an airliner
The Super Heavy rocket was originally designed to land directly on the launcher
Then get ready for your next flight
And while that has many benefits, it requires greater precision
Higher than the current Falcon 9 landing requirements
So SpaceX envisioned a fast turnaround method
A giant crane was used to hoist the super heavy rocket from the landing field to the launcher
This requires 6 oversized landing legs that are strong enough and shock-absorbing to support them
But that's the crux of the matter
After landing, the Falcon 9 needs to be transported back to the rocket refurbishment plant
Refurbish, replace, and inspect many parts
One of the most critical parts of the renovation process is the landing leg
All of this takes a lot of time
This is not the best option for a super heavy rocket
So the new idea is to eliminate the landing leg
Not only can it shorten the turnaround time
You can also save amazing weight
For every kilogram of self-weight saved, a rocket can carry more payload into orbit
The Super Heavy rocket was originally designed with 6 landing legs
The total mass is about 10% of the entire rocket landing.
If there is no landing leg
SpaceX's only option is to grab the rocket
This requires a near-perfect landing of the super-heavy rocket
One of the big advantages of the Super Heavy overhaul compared to the Falcon 9 is the hovering capability
The Falcon 9 engine was too fierce
Even a single ignition cannot be hovered
Only self-destructive combustion can be performed
This requires the engine to start at the correct point in time
Reduces the vertical speed to 0 at the moment of touching the ground
Due to the super heavy duty with more engines than the Falcon 9
Can be reduced to a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1
This means that hovering can be maintained on the launcher
And there is enough time to adjust the flight path
SpaceX envisions the rocket as it approaches the launcher
Use a huge robotic arm to grab a super heavy rocket
When the Super Heavy lands, it goes through the grip arm like a needle
Until grasped by the retracted grip arm
There is a key point to this idea
Grid wing grasped by the gripping arm
It needs to carry the entire rocket weight
At first, it was thought that the grid wing could not withstand this incredible gravity
But the grid wing was designed to withstand enormous resistance when re-entering the atmosphere
In fact, it already has a strong bearing from this direction
Despite this unique landing idea
But still need the shock absorber to handle the last bit of kinetic energy
In order to make the rocket stop
Usually this shock absorption is handled by the landing leg
The Falcon 9 landing leg consists of a telescopic tube filled with compressed gas helium
When the landing leg is automatically deployed, the compressed gas acts as a shock absorber
The main thing is that the shock absorber is placed on the grab arm and not on the rocket
This will further reduce the pressure on the rocket
Avoid major renovations
SpaceX may use a similar air suspension system
But much larger
Another idea might be to use a cable capture system
Similar to a blocking cable on an aircraft carrier
The system is to set up multiple steel cables on the flight deck
Used to hook the tail hook of the carrier-based aircraft
When the tail hook comes into contact with the steel cable
The kinetic energy is absorbed by the internal hydraulic damping system
Carrier-based aircraft will soon stop on deck
If these devices are transferred from the rocket to the gripper arm
Super Heavy rockets will be as light as possible
It also avoids too much force on the rocket
But weight reduction is only one of the benefits
The real benefit is to restart the launch quickly
If you can return to the launcher immediately after landing
Super Heavy rockets can be fixed to avoid tilting
Check for the next launch
After all, the de-can process is especially important for the starship system
Because there is still excess methane left after landing
Methane is not allowed to be emitted into the atmosphere
SpX therefore plans to pump the remaining methane back into the fuel tank
After condensation, use on the next launch
Although it may take a few more years
SpX is the one that makes this crazy idea come true
But see them challenge unimaginable engineering puzzles
It's inspiring
When SpaceX's first rocket landed five years ago
Let's rethink
What is feasible to greatly advance the space process
No matter what happens
It is clear that we are witnessing history