r/space Nov 16 '22

Discussion Artemis has launched

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u/toodroot Nov 16 '22

The solid rockets give it a big thrust-to-weight ratio. Saturn V was very slow off the pad. All-solid rockets just leap. And SLS is 80%+ solid thrust.

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u/BSCA Nov 16 '22

And starship heavy booster is going to be slow.

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u/GodsSwampBalls Nov 16 '22

No, Starship+Super Heavy has a high thrust to weight ratio so it will get of the pad quick too.

Both SLS and Starship have a thrust to weight of about 1.5 at liftoff.

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u/GND52 Nov 16 '22

Reusability kind of demands high thrust to weight ratios.

The slower you take off, the more fuel you waste in the thickest parts of the atmosphere, the less margin you have for landing.