/sci/ - Science & Math

>>12469516
>It requires to launch an additional booster, wich in case of ULA gets destroyed.
The reusable upper stage system is meant to be paired with a booster is a recoverable engine pod

>>12275430
http://www.astronautix.com/s/shuttlec.html
The engines were recoverable SMART style.

>>11924962
They seem to be a pretty SMART company. Hopefully they have some ACES up their sleeve.

>>11910327
>Expending six BE-4s isn't going to be cheap
But they wont (at least not for future flights).

>>11753871
i read somewhere that it's more efficient, it doesn't have to portion liftoff mass for propellant needed for the powered decent, [or maybe just a little if it needs power to maneuver into a gliding position]

i think it's a good marriage of the spacex approach and the SMART procedure proposed by ULA [which also uses the mid air recovery but returns only the engine]
you can use all the propellant for sending your shit to space while still recovering the stage intact

>>11305040
Sounds pretty SMART.

>>10035117
>>10037123
The plumbing and connectors might get pretty complicated. Also by using two engines, the second engine can be optimized to work at high altitudes rather than high and low altitudes. The crazy thing is that ULA wants to do something similar to this so they can have 'reusable rockets'