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Originally posted by HuskySig:

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Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
...it's pretty much on NG, since they built the sat and used their separation equipment (normally SpaceX provides that for Satellite providers).

This is not a personal attack on you RHINOWSO, but comments like this drive me nuts. I work at a launch vehicle provider doing analysis work. My speciality is in doing stage separation events, payload separation events, and fairing/shroud separation.

Neither SpaceX or NG are designing and building their own payload separation systems. There are a few companies around the world who specialize in designing and building these systems. You can count them on one hand. If the payload separation system truly did fail, the repercussions will be felt industry-wide because pretty much launch provider uses the same hardware.

Recently, I've been working on predictions for a mission that's due to launch towards the end of this year. The payloads are classified. We have been told very little about the payloads. In fact, we aren't even allowed to know who the manufacturer is. All information flows through what I would describe as a payload liaison. About all we received with any real detail are the mass properties.

The separation system being used on these payloads is one that we are quite familiar with, but the payload manufacturer is providing separation system with the payload. This is not that rare of an occurrence when it comes to classified payloads. The main reason it's done is because it's a few less pieces of information the payload builder has to provide the the launch vehicle provider. When it comes to classified things, there's always the requirement of need to know. This is just one more way of the government being able to compartmentalize classified information. There's a lot less sensitivity in providing the dimensions of a bolt diameter for a commercially available separation system than there would be in providing the bolt locations on the bottom of a classified payload.

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Originally posted by HuskySig:
Let’s be honest, how often does the news media really ever get the details of anything correct? Ownership of the payload release mechanism seems to be a rather inflammatory issue in this case, but those in the industry know that it’s really rather insignificant.

My issue with Elon Musk and SpaceX, is in the pricing of their launch vehicles. As was stated in the Zuma thread, he’s not paying his engineers and technicians peanuts. I don’t know how SpaceX can sell their launch services at such seemingly low prices, unless Elon is heavily subsidizing each mission. This is a bit of information we’ll never know until SpaceX becomes a publicly traded company, and that might not do it either.

quote:

Originally posted by HuskySig:
Let’s be honest, how often does the news media really ever get the details of anything correct? Ownership of the payload release mechanism seems to be a rather inflammatory issue in this case, but those in the industry know that it’s really rather insignificant.

My issue with Elon Musk and SpaceX, is in the pricing of their launch vehicles. As was stated in the Zuma thread, he’s not paying his engineers and technicians peanuts. I don’t know how SpaceX can sell their launch services at such seemingly low prices, unless Elon is heavily subsidizing each mission. This is a bit of information we’ll never know until SpaceX becomes a publicly traded company, and that might not do it either.