Latest Articles
Falcon Heavy: Magnificient Engineering
Falcon Heavy is the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two. With the ability to lift into orbit nearly 64 metric tons (141,000 lb) Falcon Heavy can lift more than twice the payload of the next closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy. Falcon Heavy is composed of three Falcon […]
Past Articles
Autonomous Spacecraft Drone Ship (ASDS)
Autonomous Spacecraft Drone Ship (ASDS) are ocean-going vessels derived from a deck barge, equipped with station-keeping engines and a large landing platform controlled by an autonomous robot. This allows for the recovery of the launch vehicle’s first stages at sea for missions that do not carry enough fuel to return to the launch site after […]
Re-entry Burns of Falcon 9
Falcon 9’s first stage recovery is a beautiful maneuver in itself. Requiring three precisely timed re-entry burns to orient, control, stabilize and land the rocket successfully with precision. Please refer to the above (beautiful) illustration to understand the Falcon 9 recovery process. Immediately after stage separation, the Falcon 9’s first stage or booster goes through, […]
Falcon 9 Launch Pads
Currently, SpaceX utilises 4 launch pads for their orbital rocket launches and two suborbital test launch facilities as well. SpaceX South Texas / Boca Chica launch site This site is also referred as “Starbase” by SpaceX. It is SpaceX’s fourth active launch facility, and its first private facility. Initially the plan was to use this […]
Payload Fairings
The payload fairing is the equipment used to protect the spacecraft and the third stage during the early portion of the boost phase when the aerodynamic forces from the atmosphere could affect the rocket. It is almost always in form of the nose cone at the top of the rocket that protects the spacecraft payload […]
Dragon Spacecraft
The Dragon spacecraft or capsule, also known as the pressurized section, allows for the transport of people as well as environmentally sensitive cargo. The Dragon spacecraft is capable of carrying up to 7 passengers to and from Earth orbit, and beyond. It is the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts […]
Grid Fins: The Wings for Re-entry!
The Falcon 9’s first stage is equipped with hypersonic grid fins, and not planar fins, as shown in the diagram below. Grid fins are used during the re-entry and landing of the first stage of Falcon 9 rocket. It helps in guiding the first stage return back to the ground location after accomplishing primary mission […]
Octaweb Structure
Merlin engines are arranged in an Octaweb Structure. ‘Octa’ means eight and ‘web’ structure as it depicts radiating lines from center. The Octaweb is a metal structure that supports eight engines surrounding a center engine at the base of the launch vehicle. What is its purpose? The short answer is: stability. The Octaweb also reduces […]
Merlin Engines powering Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is powered by Merlin engine. It has the highest thrust to weight ratio of any boost engine ever made, while still maintaining the structural and thermal safety margins needed to carry astronauts. Merlin engines use RP-1 and liquid oxygen as rocket propellants in a gas-generator power cycle. The Merlin engine was originally designed […]
Falcon 9: Naming
Falcon 9 and the smaller Falcon 1 rockets — are named after the fictional “Millennium Falcon” spaceship from the “Star Wars” movies. The number 9 in Falcon “9” indicates the number of Merlin engines in the first stage of Falcon 9 rocket as depicted in next image. Elon Musk has publicly stated his love for […]
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