NASA selects Falcon Heavy to launch the first elements of the lunar Gateway | Hacker News Reader

NASA selects Falcon Heavy to launch the first elements of the lunar Gateway

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21 points_Microft9 comments

Direct link to NASA PR:

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-awards-contract-to-l...

It is incredible how fast SpaceX became the leading contender in what looked like an impossibly entrenched industry just a few years ago. Hopefully, Blue Origin and some of the other private launch companies can have similar success.

I'm super excited about returning people to the Moon. But Lunar Gateway is a bad mission architecture that really reduces the cost-effectiveness of returning to the Moon. It costs way more delta-v to reach the Gateway and then proceed to the lunar surface than just to go straight to the surface.

A brief rundown of authoritative criticisms:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Gateway#Reactions

I really hope the new administration takes the opportunity to revise the mission architecture.

After the Asteroid Redirect Mission got canceled, the gateway is a solution in search of a problem. It's like a vestigial organ that sticks around even after natural selection has removed its reason for existing in the first place.

What other rockets were considered?

Well, the government has spent billions paying Boeing et al to develop a (non-reusable) public option, Orion, but it has had multiple problems (thanks, Boeing!). So if they are publicly endorsing SpaceX, that’s a serious rebuke to the public-private industrial complex behind Orion.

Just to clarify - Orion is a partially reusable spaceship, developed by NASA with Lockheed Martin as the prime contractor, while SLS is a non-reusable launch vehicle, developed by NASA with Boeing as the largest contractor. SLS has been a poster child for cost overruns and delays - but so far is still intended to launch the crewed missions to Gateway, while it was never intended to launch the non-crewed Gateway launches.

Are you maybe thinking of Boeing Starliner? That‘s the one that failed a test flight last year and had to skip a docking maneuver with space station.

NASA is looking at domestic commercial launchers powerful enough to reach lunar orbit for non-crewed elements of Gateway. As far as we know now of what will be available at the intended launch time in 2024, that will be SpaceX Falcon Heavy, ULA Vulcan, or Blue Origin New Glenn.

Falcon Heavy has the advantage that it's already in service. The other two are currently expected to make their maiden flights late this year.

It's possible that SpaceX could get Starship ready for launch by 2024 too, at their aggressive rate of development, which would be super cool, though it's early to order for launch services.

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