Due to guest illness, we have had a change in guest plans. We thank Doug for stepping in at the last moment so we can continue with our Friday program.
Guest: Dr. Doug Plata; Topics: A review of rockets, their capabilities, mission plans, objectives and more.
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We welcomed back Dr. Doug Plata with an excellent review of existing rockets of various sizes, including heavy lift, plus those that are in development. Doug did a terrific job in identifying the rockets discussed on this program plus their specs and capabilities. Please follow the tags, repeated below, as I listed the rockets in the order Doug did plus his narrative was excellent for each one so you will know what it can lift and to where. In addition, he compared several of them to each other and to Starship. This was true for SLS, New Glenn, Starship and the Long March 9 from China. Doug provided some stats for the ESA Arianne 6 rocket. As a courtesy, I've repeated the tags below.
Tags: Dr. Doug Plata, Developspace.info, heavy lift rockets, Super Heavy, ULA Vulcan, SLS, operational big rockets, H 3 from Japan, Arianne 6, launcher specs and capabilities, BE4 engines, engine recovery, Falcon Heavy, Long March (L-M) 9 in China, Starship compared to L-M 9, payloads to LEO, payloads to Mars, payloads to the Moon, testing Starship, ULA engineering, New Glenn rocket, mass producing BE 4 engines, Starship as a tipping point for space development, Artemis, news reports on Musk drug use, leadership concerns, the SpaceX vision, viable rockets, BLEO rockets.
Many of the listeners, myself included, were interested in the capabilities of the big rockets, Vulcan, SLS, Starship, New Glenn, and the Long March 9. Some of these are still in development without an operational date at this time. This would include the Long March 9 and New Glenn. Starship is testing and doing demo flights but not yet ready for anything near operational flight. Both SLS and Vulcan have had an initial successful flight.
Based on listener feedback, Doug's performance stats and apparent goals for each rocket were most interesting and useful. Also, with so many rockets online or coming online, there were inquiries about the size and depth of the heavy lift launch market. This remains an unknown at this time with many potential variables to consider. I believe it important to point out all the various performance specs Doug talked about for all the rockets he mentioned. A great collection of important information in one location. You will for sure want to hear all of Doug's comments as he goes through the facts and the comparisons for the rockets we frequently talk about on The Space Show.
Please post your comments/questions for Dr. Plata on the blog of this program. You can reach Doug through me or his website, www.developspace.info.
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