SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft, it’s business model is based on the premise that the costs of putting people and satellites in space can be significantly reduced if the rockets can be reused. This is because the majority of launch costs come from building the rocket (the fuel is only a small proportion of the costs of launch) so by reusing the first stage rocket, in the same way that commercial airliners make multiple flights the capital costs of rocket design and manufacture can be ‘repaid’ over multiple launches.
To achieve this, SpaceX rockets are designed not only to withstand reentry, but also to return to the launch pad or ocean landing site for a vertical landing. In comparison other rockets currently used for orbital and sub orbital flight burn up on re-entry. This is a video of the first Stage landing on the THAICOM 8 misson on May 27th, 2016.
To achieve this re-usability, components that might be disposable on other rocket designs are designed to be re-used on a SpaceX design, for example using hydraulic actuators to enable stage separation rather than something destructive, and those same hydraulics can be used to control the vanes used in the re-entry and landing process.
Based in Hawthorne, in Southern California, SpaceX employs a number of IET members and Fellows, and this year’s Southern California PATW winner is a SpaceX employee. With his help and the help of a former SpaceX employee on our Local Network Committee we were able to have a tour of their production facility. One of our guests, Francisco described the tour as such
To achieve this, SpaceX rockets are designed not only to withstand reentry, but also to return to the launch pad or ocean landing site for a vertical landing. In comparison other rockets currently used for orbital and sub orbital flight burn up on re-entry. This is a video of the first Stage landing on the THAICOM 8 misson on May 27th, 2016.
To achieve this re-usability, components that might be disposable on other rocket designs are designed to be re-used on a SpaceX design, for example using hydraulic actuators to enable stage separation rather than something destructive, and those same hydraulics can be used to control the vanes used in the re-entry and landing process.
Based in Hawthorne, in Southern California, SpaceX employs a number of IET members and Fellows, and this year’s Southern California PATW winner is a SpaceX employee. With his help and the help of a former SpaceX employee on our Local Network Committee we were able to have a tour of their production facility. One of our guests, Francisco described the tour as such
Our tour at SpaceX started with a presentation of the various stages of the rocket building process. It’s amazing to see raw materials come in the front door and the finished rocket literally goes out the back door. All this is done under one roof at the assembly plant in Hawthorne, CA with the exception of testing off site (in Texas) and actual launching (California or Florida).
My wife and teenage son were very impressed with the dedication all the relatively young engineers demonstrated to us by being at the rocket plant on a warm and sunny Saturday morning. The group that we toured with was kept small and our tour guide made a fine balance of keeping the tour interesting yet informative by inviting questions from our group and providing some insider trivia.
Our son Justin was grateful for the opportunity the IET Southern California Network to visit SpaceX in Hawthorne, CA and to see how the new Falcon 9 Rockets are built in their plant.
Both my wife and I want to thank you for helping to inspire our children in a career in a STEM related field and we look forward to your next event.
My wife and teenage son were very impressed with the dedication all the relatively young engineers demonstrated to us by being at the rocket plant on a warm and sunny Saturday morning. The group that we toured with was kept small and our tour guide made a fine balance of keeping the tour interesting yet informative by inviting questions from our group and providing some insider trivia.
Our son Justin was grateful for the opportunity the IET Southern California Network to visit SpaceX in Hawthorne, CA and to see how the new Falcon 9 Rockets are built in their plant.
Both my wife and I want to thank you for helping to inspire our children in a career in a STEM related field and we look forward to your next event.
The manufacturing process implemented by SpaceX follows very similar processes as to those used in Automotive manufacturing, and we learned that engineers from Tesla used to designing the ergonomics for cars were borrowed for the ergonomic design of the Dragon manned capsules, another component for spaceflight that SpaceX is designing to be reusable and land under its own power.
This was an enjoyable and educational tour, and shows what can be done if you take a complex problem and return to first principles to solve it.