[Eric Berger] SpaceX intends to invest up to $100 billion in massive Louisiana spaceport
![[Eric Berger] SpaceX intends to invest up to $100 billion in massive Louisiana spaceport](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/7b1a858b-03de-4a9d-a04c-1569ac40fbfc.jpeg)
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12 replies
TBH this is very cool.
It does put a lot of dense civilization downrange of the launch site, though. Thats... risky. Spaceports are often on eastern coasts for this reason.
I think most launches are expected to be polar, heading southwards
Do you think Starship will ever be reliable enough to fly over populated areas? Maybe not over big cities but like airplanes maybe?
I don't think any spacecraft is, not even the Soyuz rockets that were basically bulletproof for decades.
No matter how advanced it is, a rocket is basically a giant soda can filled with explosives. The mass fraction is just so different than an airplane, so it has to be treated accordingly.
The noise is likely what keeps them away from populated areas. Similar to the concord.
Reliably - I think they’ll fly often enough to get falcon 9 like reliability
Ah, yeah, that's much better.
The shipping lanes nearby are also pretty extensive. The NOTAMs will be pretty annoying. And there will definitely be scrubs from stray boats.
I'm not sure where else to put one of these, though. Spaceport Camden?
Well, what's wrong with the current Texas location? That's about as good a spot for a launchpad as anywhere in the US, except maybe Cape Canaveral.
I think fuel supply and room to expand are the big benefits of the Louisiana location.
But the houston area has big refineries too, right?
But yeah, I suppose space and nearby people are the issue with the Texas place, as is in the news all the time.
Musk doesn't care about people, so dont worry about that
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