SpaceX%20Hypothetical%20Missions%20Documentation.html

Images by Space Exploration Company

Who is SpaceX?

SpaceX develops rockets and spacecraft for missions to Earth orbit and beyond. SpaceX is committed to becoming the world’s premiere space services company by substantially improving both the reliability and cost efficiency of space transportation, ultimately by a factor of ten. SpaceX was founded with the long-term goal of enabling humanity to become a space-faring civilization. � Space Exploration Company

Falcon 1 Overview

Falcon 1 is a two stage, liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene (RP-1) powered launch vehicle. It is designed in-house from the ground up by SpaceX for cost efficient and reliable transport of satellites to low Earth orbit.

Falcon 1 Falcon 1e

Length: 21.3 m (70 ft) 27.4 m (90 ft)

Width: 1.7 m (5.5 ft) 1.7 m (5.5 ft)

Mass: 27,670 kg (61 klbs) 46,760 kg (103 klbs)

Thrust: 347 kN (78 klbf) 556 kN (125 klbf)

Merlin Engine

The main engine, called Merlin 1C, was developed internally at SpaceX, drawing upon a long heritage of space proven engines. The pintle style injector at the heart of Merlin 1C was first used in the Apollo Moon program for the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) landing engine, one of the most critical phases of the mission.

Propellant is fed via a single shaft, dual impeller turbo-pump operating on a gas generator cycle. High pressure kerosene fuel flows through the walls of the combustion chamber and exhaust nozzle before being injected into the combustions chamber. This provides significant cooling, permitting the engine to operate at a higher level of performance. The turbo-pump also provides the high pressure kerosene for the hydraulic actuators, eliminating the need for a separate hydraulic power system. Additionally, actuating the turbine exhaust nozzle provides roll control during flight.

Combining these three functions into one device, and verifying its operation before the vehicle is allowed to lift off, provides significant improvement in system-level reliability.

Kestrel, also built around the pintle architecture, is a high efficiency, low pressure vacuum engine. It does not have a turbo-pump and is fed only by tank pressure.

Kestrel is ablatively cooled in the chamber and throat and radiatively cooled in the nozzle, which is fabricated from a high strength alloy. An impact from orbital debris or during stage separation would simply dent the metal, but have no meaningful effect on engine performance. Thrust vector control is provided by electro-mechanical actuators on the engine dome for pitch and yaw. Roll control (and attitude control during coast phases) is provided by helium cold gas thrusters.

A highly reliable and proven TEA-TEB pyrophoric system is used to provide multiple restart capability on the upper stage. In a multi-manifested mission, this allows delivery of separate payloads to different altitudes and inclinations.

The vast majority of launch vehicle failures in the past two decades can be attributed to three causes: engine, stage separation and, to a much lesser degree, avionics failures. An analysis of launch failure history between 1980 and 1999 by Aerospace Corporation showed that 91% of known failures can be attributed to those subsystems.

It was with this in mind that we designed Falcon 1 to have the minimum number of engines. As a result, there is only one engine per stage and only one stage separation event per flight.

Another notable point is the SpaceX hold-before-release system – a capability required by commercial airplanes, but not implemented on many launch vehicles. After first stage engine start, the Falcon is held down and not released for flight until all propulsion and vehicle systems are confirmed to be operating nominally. An automatic safe shut-down and unloading of propellant occurs if any off nominal conditions are detected.

Falcon 1 is the world’s lowest cost per flight to orbit of a production rocket.

Like Falcon 1, Falcon 9 is a two stage, liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene (RP-1) powered launch vehicle. It uses the same engines, structural architecture (with a wider diameter), avionics and launch system.

The Falcon 9 Heavy will be SpaceX’s entry into the heavy lift launch vehicle category. Capable of lifting over 28,000 kg to LEO, and over 12,000 kg to GTO, the Falcon 9 Heavy will compete with the largest commercial launchers now available. It consists of a standard Falcon 9 with two additional Falcon 9 first stages acting as liquid strap-on boosters. With the Falcon 9 first stage already designed to support the additional loads of this configuration and with common tanking and engines across both vehicles, development and operation of the Falcon 9 Heavy will be highly cost-effective.

The Dragon spacecraft is made up of a pressurized capsule and unpressurized trunk used for Earth to LEO transport of pressurized cargo, unpressurized cargo, and/or crew members. Initiated internally by SpaceX in 2005, Dragon will be utilized to fulfill our NASA COTS contract for demonstration of cargo re-supply of the ISS.

Dragon capsule is comprised of 3 main elements: Nosecone, which protects the vessel and the docking adaptor during ascent; the Pressurized Section, which houses the crew and/or pressurized cargo; and the Service Section, which contains avionics, the RCS system, parachutes, and other support.

In addition an unpressurized trunk is included, which provides for the stowage of unpressurized cargo and will support Dragon’s solar arrays and thermal radiators.

* Fully autonomous rendezvous and docking with manual override capability in crewed configuration

* 1200 kg of propellant supports a safe mission profile from sub-orbital insertion to ISS rendezvous to reentry

The Lunar Free-Return Tourism mission is a hypothetical manned commercial lunar mission

which would fly paying customers out to the moon and back to Earth via a lunar free-return

*This scenario requires two separate launches that must rendezvous in Low Earth Orbit at the correct inclination.

The unmanned Falcon9- Heavy is launched first carrying the TLI (Trans-Lunar Injection) Kicker Stage shown in the images above. Followed by a manned launch of a Falcon-9 carrying a crew configuration of the Dragon spacecraft. The dragon spacecraft uses it's Draco-Thrusters � to maneuver it's orbit for a rendezvous with the TLI Kicker Stage in LEO. After docking the crew must wait for the correct TeJ (Time of Injection) and proceed with a TLI burn using the TLI Kicker Stage in order to put the two spacecraft in a close fly-by free-return trajectory around the moon. Two to three course correction may be required in order to approach the moon at the correct distance and to ensure an accurate direct re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere at the proper angle of descent.

*Fairing must be jettison before the Dragon spacecraft can be released from the second stage.

*After Dragon spacecraft is released from second stage it is necessary to press J in order to separate the Dragon SM (Service Module) from the Dragon CM (Command Module).

*Fairing must be jettison before the TLI Kicker Stage can be released from the second stage.

*After TLI Kicker Stage is released from second stage it is absolutely critical to minimize fuel usage.