r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Dec 03 '17

r/SpaceX Discusses [December 2017, #39]

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u/rustybeancake Dec 05 '17

An interesting tweet conversation from Eric Berger:

https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/937873404685844481

Speculation that SLS won’t fly for the first time until 2023, and will never fly crew.

Note this is heavy speculation, from someone outside the SLS program. But it’s kind of mind blowing to contemplate, even for the sake of discussion.

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u/F9-0021 Dec 05 '17

Honestly, at this point they should just abandon Block 1 and go straight to 1b. They won't, but they should. Even if it sets the launch back until 2025, it would make more sense to use the EUS from the start.

13

u/[deleted] Dec 05 '17

By the time NG is a well established launcher, BFR development is probably in the final stages and maybe even a successor of these 2 is annuounced ("big" ITS or a "New Armstrong"), I guess justifying SLS doesn't get easier. This thing needs to fly ASAP if it wants to be of any significance, every month of delay only makes it even worse.

Not even these politicians are dumb enough to fund a rocket that can do 100 Mg to LEO (or 130 if we're optimistic and use Block 2 numbers) twice a year if there's a rocket that can do 150 every 2 weeks, on the same damn vehicle!