With Starfall, SpaceX eyes an edge in global cargo delivery from orbit
摘要
SpaceX计划于周二发射猎鹰9号火箭，测试名为Starfall的新型再入飞行器，旨在实现从近地轨道向全球任意地点运送货物。该飞碟状再入舱由SpaceX秘密研发，其用途是支持“通过太空运输和交付货物”。首次演示中，Starfall将随火箭从佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角升空，绕地球两圈后重返大气层，并在加州以西约800英里的太平洋海域借助降落伞溅落。
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch Tuesday to test a new reentry vehicle designed to deliver cargo anywhere in the world from low-Earth orbit.
The company developed the new saucer-shaped reentry pod, called Starfall, under a veil of secrecy. Its purpose is to support the "transport and delivery of goods through space," according to an environmental assessment published by the Federal Aviation Administration last month.
The first demonstration of the Starfall vehicle is scheduled for Tuesday morning. At least one of the Starfall vehicles will ride into orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, perhaps alongside another undisclosed payload. After circling the planet two times, the Falcon 9's upper stage will release Starfall to reenter the atmosphere and target a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean around 800 miles west of California.
转载信息
评论 (3)
