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Next SpaceX announcement?
(lemmy.nz)
Introducing Starbase Earth
60 launch pads 400 miles apart (40 floating + 20 land pads)
Enabling high rate downrange landings
300+ tons of payload per launch
Credit: u/Sarigolepas
Having a chain of launch sites around the globe would enable downrange booster landings, which would require less propellant reserves than return-to-launch-site booster landings. The extra propellant could be used to launch heavier payloads.
I still don't see how this scheme is superior to a landing ship that can be anywhere on the ocean.
The superheavy has no landing legs, so it can't land on any old droneship. The only way to recover the booster to catch it with the chopsticks.
well, lol, there was never 'any old drone ship'.
come on, do you think it's just a dumb barge with nothing on it? no telemetry, no guidance systems, just a chunk of shit floating in the sea?
so build a gantry, put out some outriggers for stability and stick yo silly fuckin chopsticks on these.
this is nearly as silly as orbital data centers.