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Refueling

All articles tagged with #refueling

Starship’s Moonshot Thrust Tops Saturn V, but Orbital Refueling Remains Unproven
space10 days ago

Starship’s Moonshot Thrust Tops Saturn V, but Orbital Refueling Remains Unproven

SpaceX’s Starship V3 delivers about 18 million pounds of liftoff thrust—over 2x Saturn V’s 7.6 million—yet after 13 integrated flights it has not demonstrated ship-to-ship refueling in orbit, a critical capability for Mars missions. Previous tests moved cryogenic oxygen within a single vehicle, but true orbital refueling requires two ships to rendezvous, dock, and transfer propellant with reliable, reusable interfaces and turnaround. The thrust advantage reflects scale, not readiness; many other challenges remain before Mars becomes feasible, with refueling seen as the bridge from a reusable launcher to an interplanetary transport system.

via spacedaily.com|
#propulsion#refueling#space
Titan's Rich Resources Could Power a Solar System Refueling Network
space2 months ago

Titan's Rich Resources Could Power a Solar System Refueling Network

A NASA-supported study inventories Titan’s abundant hydrocarbons, water (about 50% of its mass, with surface ice and a subsurface reservoir kept liquid by antifreeze), and other resources, arguing Titan could support long‑term habitats, resupply depots, and on‑site manufacturing, enabling refueling for missions to the outer Solar System and beyond. Compared with the Moon, Mars, and asteroids, Titan’s unique mix of atmospheric hydrocarbons, surface/ subsurface water, and potential feedstocks could make it a central hub for interplanetary travel, with surface and orbital infrastructure and even export of fuels and goods; the Dragonfly mission (no earlier than 2028) will help assess these prospects.

via Universe Today|
#dragonfly#isru#refueling
space3 years ago

NASA's Next Starship Test and HLS Integration Excites Falcon Heavy's Rescue Mission.

While SpaceX works on resolving legal challenges and reliability issues with its Starship vehicle, its Falcon Heavy rocket offers a stopgap solution for NASA's lunar exploration plans. The Falcon Heavy has had six successful flights and offers a path forward for delivering larger payloads to the lunar surface. The method involves launching a commercially available reusable first stage rocket system, followed by an expendable upper stage that docks with the first in orbit. Refueling options can also be used to increase payload capacity. This method is cheaper and more readily available than other options and can be used to distribute infrastructure on the Moon.

via The Space Review|
#falcon-heavy#lunar-exploration#payloads
SpaceX's Stunning Animation of Starship's Mars Mission.
space3 years ago

SpaceX's Stunning Animation of Starship's Mars Mission.

SpaceX released a video portraying a future Starship mission to Mars. The video shows Starship launching from Boca Chica, Texas, separating its first stage from the second stage, and making its way to Mars after refueling in orbit. The rocket lands vertically on its pad, and four astronauts open the hatch to a view of a Martian city. SpaceX is currently prepping for Starship’s orbital test flight, which could happen next week pending a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration.

via Gizmodo|
#astronauts#mars#refueling