[AR] Re: modeling Electron (was Re: Successful liquid launch at FAR)

  • From: Peter Fairbrother <peter@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2022 05:25:44 +0000

On 18/01/2022 05:56, Henry Spencer wrote:

One problem John has mentioned in conversation in the past is that the second stage jettisons spent batteries partway through its burn, there doesn't seem to be any public information about how much they weigh, and it really matters to performance modelling.

I wonder whether they change they chamber pressure after jettisoning the battery - they are at altitude, and a large change in Pc might result in a small change in Isp.

Thereby lowering the required mass of the final battery and perhaps increasing payload.

They are also going horizontally then and the small loss of thrust might not matter much.

But you'd have to model the whole flight to find out if it was worthwhile..


Peter Fairbrother

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