Eric Berger reports that he’s probably getting more realistic.
2 thoughts on “Elon’s Mars Plans”
The article talks about the booster, giving hints about the actual vehicle it will launch. The Red Lander lacks enough fuel for “helicopter like operations” so the stretch Dragon I predicted years ago may finally be realized. Probably with a Mars crew of 8 to 12, with a LEO crew of about 20.
Musk will succeed because he’s the right combination of tenacious and willing to move past initial concepts (from Falcon 5 to today.)
A 9 meter rocket but what about the fairing? The B2100 needs an 8 meter fairing.
It will be cool to see what companies other than SpaceX and BO put in space on these big launchers. Musk’s architecture might change again when there are more companies participating. With cheaper launchers and a max passenger craft, the big challenge might be building a space ship(s) big enough to haul people around.
The article talks about the booster, giving hints about the actual vehicle it will launch. The Red Lander lacks enough fuel for “helicopter like operations” so the stretch Dragon I predicted years ago may finally be realized. Probably with a Mars crew of 8 to 12, with a LEO crew of about 20.
Musk will succeed because he’s the right combination of tenacious and willing to move past initial concepts (from Falcon 5 to today.)
A 9 meter rocket but what about the fairing? The B2100 needs an 8 meter fairing.
It will be cool to see what companies other than SpaceX and BO put in space on these big launchers. Musk’s architecture might change again when there are more companies participating. With cheaper launchers and a max passenger craft, the big challenge might be building a space ship(s) big enough to haul people around.