Jeff Bezos New Glenn Rocket Ready for Flight!
Elon Musk Podcast
Deep Dive
What are the key design features of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket?
New Glenn is a two-stage rocket standing 98 meters tall with a 7-meter-wide core stage. Its first stage is powered by seven BE-4 methane and liquid oxygen engines, while the second stage uses two BE-3U hydrogen-burning engines. It features a massive payload fairing (7 meters in diameter, 17 meters tall), making it the largest in the commercial market. The first stage is fully reusable from its inaugural launch, and the rocket uses a diamond-shaped fin design with strakes for enhanced lift during descent.
How does New Glenn's reusability compare to SpaceX's rockets?
New Glenn's first stage is designed for full reusability from its first launch, unlike SpaceX's Falcon rockets, which introduced reusability gradually. However, SpaceX's Starship aims for complete reusability across all stages, setting a higher industry standard. New Glenn's reusable design focuses on long-term reliability and precise landings using six integrated landing legs capable of withstanding impacts up to 150 tons.
What market niche does New Glenn target compared to SpaceX's Starship?
New Glenn targets missions to geostationary orbit, the Moon, and potentially Mars, leveraging its hydrogen-powered upper stage for efficiency without requiring complex refueling maneuvers. In contrast, Starship, with its massive payload capacity, is better suited for large-scale interplanetary missions but faces challenges with smaller satellite deployments due to limited payload bay size. New Glenn's spacious fairing design caters to a broader range of payloads.
What is the significance of New Glenn's payload fairing?
New Glenn's payload fairing is the largest in the commercial launch market, measuring 7 meters in diameter and 17 meters tall. This design accommodates larger or oddly shaped payloads that may not fit in SpaceX's Falcon rockets, giving Blue Origin a competitive edge in serving diverse customer needs, including satellite deployments and exploration missions.
How does Blue Origin's development strategy differ from SpaceX's?
Blue Origin emphasizes exhaustive testing and methodical development, ensuring high success rates from the outset. In contrast, SpaceX adopts a rapid, iterative approach, launching early prototypes to gather real-world data and refine designs. While this limits Blue Origin's launch frequency in the short term, it aligns with their focus on reliability and long-term viability.
What are the propulsion system differences between New Glenn and SpaceX's rockets?
New Glenn's first stage uses BE-4 engines with an oxidizer-rich stage combustion cycle, prioritizing lower chamber pressures for extended engine lifespan and reusability. Its upper stage employs BE-3U engines with an expander cycle, sacrificing some efficiency for increased thrust. In contrast, SpaceX's Raptor engines push for maximum performance with higher chamber pressures, reflecting differing design philosophies.
What are the potential applications for New Glenn beyond exploration missions?
New Glenn's capabilities extend to deploying Amazon's Kuiper satellites, which compete with SpaceX's Starlink constellation. Other clients like OneWeb and Eutelsat have also expressed interest in using New Glenn for payload delivery. Additionally, Blue Origin has explored a reusable upper stage under Project Jarvis, aiming to compete with Starship in fully reusable launch systems.
How does New Glenn's landing system differ from SpaceX's?
New Glenn uses a diamond-shaped fin design with strakes for enhanced lift and cross-range capability during descent, combined with cold gas thrusters for in-flight adjustments. It also features six integrated landing legs, unlike SpaceX's grid fins. These legs can withstand impacts up to 150 tons, enabling precise landings on the recovery barge Jacqueline in the Atlantic Ocean.
What challenges does New Glenn face in competing with SpaceX?
New Glenn faces stiff competition from SpaceX's Starship, which boasts complete reusability and unmatched payload capacity. Starship's size and ambitions have shifted industry standards, making it harder for New Glenn to capture attention. However, New Glenn's focus on specific market niches, such as geostationary orbit missions and larger payloads, provides a strategic advantage.
What is the significance of New Glenn's hydrogen-powered upper stage?
New Glenn's hydrogen-powered upper stage, using BE-3U engines, is optimized for high-altitude and space maneuvers. It offers greater efficiency for missions to geostationary orbit, the Moon, and potentially Mars, without requiring the complex refueling maneuvers needed for Starship. This design makes New Glenn a strong contender for specific exploration and satellite deployment missions.
- New Glenn's design rivals SpaceX's Falcon Heavy in payload capacity.
- It boasts a larger fairing than SpaceX's Falcon rockets.
- Its first stage is designed for full reusability from its initial launch.
- The first payload will be the Blue Ring satellite bus.
Shownotes Transcript
Adelassian.com。
那么，蓝色起源的“新格伦”火箭与“星舰”以及SpaceX的其他猎鹰火箭系列相比，有什么不同之处呢？它能否成功与它们竞争，或者在首次发射前就已经落后了？就在火箭准备进行首次轨道任务发射之际，这些只是一些悬而未决的问题。“新格伦”火箭将从佛罗里达州的一个发射台发射升空。
这款火箭历经25多年的研发，即将首次亮相。自蓝色起源公司成立以来，“新格伦”火箭经历了多次延误。然而，随着它准备在日益被SpaceX及其强大的“星舰”和猎鹰系列火箭主导的市场中起飞，人们的期待感也越来越高。
尽管被SpaceX“星舰”系统庞大的规模所掩盖，“新格伦”火箭在2016年首次公布时曾被誉为具有突破性意义。当时，大多数新兴航空航天公司都专注于设计更小、更具成本效益的火箭。相比之下，蓝色起源公司宣布了其打造有史以来最大的轨道火箭之一的雄心壮志。
“新格伦”火箭高98米，核心级直径7米，其有效载荷能力与SpaceX的“猎鹰重型”火箭不相上下，同时融入了更现代化的设计元素和更高的可重复使用性。
这款火箭采用两级设计，第一级由7台BE-4发动机提供动力，燃烧甲烷和液氧。第二级使用一对BE-3U氢燃料发动机，经过优化可在太空中运行。
据蓝色起源公司称，“新格伦”火箭的第一级设计从首次发射起就能够完全重复使用，这与其他通常逐步引入重复使用功能的发射系统形成了关键区别。“新格伦”火箭的一个突出特点是其巨大的整流罩，直径7米，高17米。
这些尺寸使其成为商用发射市场上最大的整流罩，为那些可能太大或形状奇特的有效载荷提供了充足的空间，而这些有效载荷对于SpaceX的猎鹰火箭来说可能太大了。随着蓝色起源公司准备进行首次任务发射，该公司首个有效载荷是一个名为“蓝环”的小型卫星母线，配备了自己的推进和电力系统。
“新格伦”火箭的推进系统展示了技术选择的融合，反映了在性能和可靠性之间取得平衡的严谨方法。例如，一级BE-4发动机采用富氧化剂分级燃烧循环，使用甲烷和液氧。
这些发动机的燃烧室压力低于SpaceX的“猛禽”发动机。这是一个经过深思熟虑的决定，旨在延长发动机寿命并提高可重复使用性。虽然SpaceX不断努力通过提高压力来从更小的发动机中获得最大性能，
但蓝色起源公司更保守的设计理念更注重长期的可靠性。“新格伦”火箭的上级采用与一级不同的发动机循环。其BE-3U发动机依靠膨胀循环，利用汽化的氢气驱动涡轮机并运行泵。
这种设计牺牲了一些效率以换取更高的推力，但对于高空和太空机动仍然有效。其结果是一个功能强大的上级。蓝色起源公司声称，它比SpaceX的“猎鹰9”号火箭上级效率更高，尽管不如联合发射联盟（ULA）使用的“半人马座”级火箭。 “新格伦”火箭的着陆系统也使其与竞争对手区别开来。与SpaceX的格栅翼不同，
蓝色起源公司采用更传统的菱形翼设计，并结合翼条以增强下降过程中的升力和横向范围能力。一级包括用于飞行姿态调整的冷气推力器，以及六个着陆支腿（“星舰”没有），这些支腿无缝地集成在其后部。据首席执行官戴维·林普（David Limp）介绍，这些支腿能够承受高达150吨的冲击力，从而能够在名为“杰奎琳”的回收驳船上精确安全地着陆，该驳船位于大西洋。蓝色起源公司和SpaceX之间的关键区别在于它们的开发战略。SpaceX采用快速迭代的方法，经常发射早期原型以收集真实世界的数据并改进设计，
而蓝色起源公司则强调在任何公开发射之前进行彻底的测试。这种严谨的方法可能会在短期内限制发射次数，但这与蓝色起源公司从一开始就确保高成功率的战略相符。
值得注意的是，美国宇航局对蓝色起源公司的测试协议充满信心，计划在日程冲突导致延误之前使用“新格伦”火箭的首次飞行执行火星任务。该飞行任务已被取消。尽管经过多年的准备，蓝色起源公司仍然面临激烈的竞争。
因为SpaceX的“星舰”火箭存在，它旨在实现所有阶段的完全可重复使用。它改变了行业标准，并在有效载荷能力和尺寸方面使其他火箭相形见绌。
“星舰”的设计由于其有效载荷舱门的尺寸有限，对小型卫星部署提出了挑战，这与“新格伦”火箭宽敞的整流罩设计形成鲜明对比。“星舰”可能会吸引人们的注意及其规模上的雄心壮志。“新格伦”火箭则瞄准了市场中的一个不同的细分市场。
这款火箭采用氢动力上级，非常适合执行地球同步轨道任务、月球任务，甚至可能是火星任务，而无需进行“星舰”进行星际旅行所需的复杂补给操作。SpaceX的“星舰”前往月球大约需要10次补给。“新格伦”火箭的市场前景也超越了探测任务。
蓝色起源公司与杰夫·贝索斯（Jeff Bezos）的亚马逊公司之间的联系为“海王星”卫星的发射打开了大门。亚马逊对SpaceX“星链”星座的回应。
其他客户，包括OneWeb和Eulestat，已经表达了使用“新格伦”火箭进行有效载荷交付的兴趣。虽然蓝色起源公司最初曾考虑过将“新格伦”火箭的三级版本用于非常深空的探测任务，但其目前的重点仍然是为客户提供其两级版本的性能。该公司还探索了开发名为“贾维斯项目”（Project Jarvis）的可重复使用上级，作为其创建完全可重复使用运载火箭愿景的一部分。这种进步将使“新格伦”火箭与“星舰”火箭直接竞争。尽管面临激烈的竞争，但蓝色起源公司细致的规划、创新的设计元素和多元化的客户群为其首次发射奠定了坚实的基础。
该公司严谨的方法和满足特定市场需求的准备工作表明，它在快速创新和可靠性同样至关重要的行业中拥有良好的长期生存战略。
该公司严谨的方法和满足特定市场需求的准备工作表明，它在快速创新和可靠性同样至关重要的行业中拥有良好的长期生存战略。
该公司严谨的方法和满足特定市场需求的准备工作表明，它在快速创新和可靠性同样至关重要的行业中拥有良好的长期生存战略。