Re:There are many small orbital launch vehicles proposed or ...
by DuskStar on Tuesday November 05, 2019 @10:57PM
(#21459611)
Right, and that's why smallsat launchers are only really viable for orbits/launches that can't be served by rideshares. Better to pay $5mil for an Electron to launch your smallsat than to book an entire Falcon 9, even if the $/kg is far higher.
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Re:There are many small orbital launch vehicles proposed or ...
by greglindahl on Tuesday November 05, 2019 @11:16PM
(#21459662)
Companies like Momentus [1] are happy to sell you a tug that will turn a rideshare to a common orbit into your unusual orbit.
SpaceX's rate for an Electron-sized payload is 1/6 the price of an Electron.
Re:There are many small orbital launch vehicles proposed or ...
by DuskStar on Tuesday November 05, 2019 @11:48PM
(#21459794)
I have to say, 5 km/s delta v is more than I was expecting from a tug like that. Still, I really wouldn't be surprised if adding one of those to your smallsat would cost more than $5m.