Main Engine Cut OffEnvisioning a Lunar Sortie with SpaceX and ULA Hardware
So, assume away the political challenges for a second. Could you realistically make a lunar landing mission work with a combination of SpaceX and ULA hardware? After running the numbers, I’d say tentatively yes.
Incredibly fun and insightful envisioning by Jonathan Goff on a potential lunar sortie architecture using Falcon Heavy, Dragon 2, Vulcan/ACES with a Xeus landing kit.
Architectures like these could flourish with the budget levels that SLS and Orion receive. Things are coming to a head now with the NASA exploration program, and it’s hard to say where it will go. No matter what, the next few years are going to be thrilling.
One thing is clear: we—collectively—really need some landers.