SFS News: SpaceX - Falcon 9 Progress Update

Dang, I hadn't considered the date format. Now I might have to wait a month longer than I thougnt.
Wrt the F9H, it'll be quite a sight to see 27 Merlins on fire. Hey, how about a customer. Maybe that's what will be reported. A signed up customer could make the F9H a reality and who knows, seeing we're way into speculation here, what about Merlin2 or Raptor?

Is this an April Fools joke? Or real?

if it's an april fools' joke, it's a really weird one -

-they've had a F9H launch scheduled for a long time now for 2012
-they didn't release that video today
-they didn't schedule the press conference for today

F9H really is something else - Delta IV Heavy size at 30% less cost. could launch an EDS w lander on that then hook up a fancy dragon and have a lunar exploration system almost.

So is this a sign that the new configuration is ready to launch soon, or that they will soon begin serious development of it?

O_O webcast at 11:20AM EST tomorrow.. all our base will belong to elon shortly.

I for one welcome our new SpaceX overlords

That's was interesting - 117k lbs to LEO is quite a big chunk of mass. Launch end of next year - so a while to wait!

Although Elon Musk really does need to practice his public speaking a bit more!!!

117k lbs = 53000kg or 53 metric tonnes right? Thats 20000 kg more, than what Wikipedia has now for Falcon Heavy.

I missed most of the conference. Did he say of any new technology?

And yeah.. he needs practice... but he's getting better with each launch

I don't understand, why I missed it...

according to http://www.timezoneconverter.com
11:20 AM EST equals 06:20 PM CEST

Which is NOW...

Daylight saving? Does that Website uses a iPhone for its calculations?

Anyway, they said that a link would be on the SpaceX site, but in precis...

The Merlin D engine is an upgrade and can get the F9H up to 117klbs and possible over 120klbs. Basically 3 Falcon 9's bolted together, with, for the first time, cross fueling across the three cores. Engine out capability as before.

They expect to launch 10 a year, can't remember how many F9's, which means making 400 engines a year. That's a lot. They are upping their production a lot to do this.

Launch price for F9H about $100million.

Did mentioned the F9 Super Heavy, which was IIRC 150 TONNES to LEO - 50% more than the Saturn 5 - but still in the thought stage at the moment.

It was 1 hour before your post

Forgot all about it, and the archived version doesn't work yet


Teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTwRxtmQ ... ture=feedu

Thanks guys!

Although most of the information is already online at
http://www.spacex.com/falcon_heavy.php anyway.

But thanks for the additional infos

That's something I've been waiting for



And this!

Next time use this (or others from this page)
http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-z ... tern-time/

The recorded video of the conference is now available at http://www.visualwebcaster.com/spacex

All I can say is WOW!

Merlin 1D - from 95,000 lbf (1C)* all they way to ~140,000 lbf while at the same time streamlining the engine for mass production.

They expect ~20 launches a year, roughly half of that number F9s and the other half FHs -> that's 40 cores per year or 400 engines as JamesHughes has already posted earlier.

And what Elon did not say directly: with the new Merlin, that will increase the payloads of F9 and F1 as well!

But putting FH aside for a while: I really hope that we see them move along with the COTS flights soon.



* = the spaceX page lists the Merlin 1C with a sea level thrust of 125,000 lbf, but I thought I had heard Elon say 95,000 lbf at the press conference?

Anyway, an increase from 125K to 140K is still quite impressive!