/sci/ - Science & Math

>>12569622
>>12569637
>>12569647
Honestly no one really knows SpaceX’s plan. A starship with a full tank still falls short of the Delta V needed to land a payload on the moon and come back up.

It seems like SpaceX is planning on using a dedicated “Reufeler” to top off Lunar Starship’s tanks. Presumably Lunar Starship launches into LEO but then pushes a bit further out to around 3-4 thousand kilometers. A second launch carries an empty starship without wings or legs into LEO. This starship is met with 12 launches until its tanks are full. It then boosts out to a few thousand kilometers and meets with the LunarShip where it transfers its fuel. Maybe the Refueler boosts down to LEO and is topped off again? Is it expended? Either way, a tanks full LunarShip with a “boost” of 1 kilometer a second DOES have the Delta V to reach the moon, enter a NRHO to meet Orion, land on the surface, and return to the NRHO. This is all speculation but google has a lot of neat speculation on the issue.

Predecisional edition - 31 launches over 8 years!

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>>10655769

Berger is at it again

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/05/nasas-full-artemis-plan-revealed-37-launches-and-a-lunar-outpost/