Quote:
Originally Posted by GH85Carrera
So who is preventing them from going into orbit? If Tesla just put a hunk of junk in orbit, on purpose, why can't they launch into orbit?
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My son is home from school for the weekend, he tells me this "challenge" is sponsored by NASA, and a bunch of the major aerospace companies.
There are specific rules, one being the entire rocket has to be recovered and land in a specified small area of desert.
If they want the funding, they need to follow the rules. Your tax money at work.
He's working on the pilot chute deployment now, then it's be off to the main chute systems later.
Plus there's a huge difference between going straight up 120km, and going fast enough to reach escape velocity. Last time checked that was in the 17,000 mph range.
That would take a lot bigger rocket with more stages.
That might happen but in a different phase.
On this one they're just shooting to leave atmosphere.
Planned launch is 2021 which would be his senior year, but odds are he'll be graduated early before the launch date. he'll work on it until he gradumacates, and still make it to witness the launch.