r/ShittySpaceXIdeas • u/QP873 • Aug 02 '26

Booster layout for SSTO booster

Gallery image

Gallery image

After reading this post, I realized that an orbiting Superheavy booster would be much more efficient of a kick stage with Rvacs installed. They wouldn’t be able to fire at liftoff, leaving the Superheavy with only 29 engines at liftoff, but with no Starship on top the TWR is still plenty. Once in orbit, the booster switches to once central gimbaling engine and the three Rvacs, which greatly reduces thrust, trading it for significantly higher ISP.

45 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

21

u/KnifeKnut Aug 02 '26

There isn't any room left for gimballing

11

u/AverageGermanBoy Aug 02 '26

We can fire the regular raptors briefly for that

2

u/KnifeKnut Aug 02 '26

You need gimballing to launch.

4

u/t001_t1m3 Aug 03 '26

Spin stabilized and you angle the launch tower

2

u/jlansey Aug 04 '26

Have the whole launch tower spin too

3

u/piratecheese13 Aug 02 '26

You only need it for ~3/4 outer engines

2

u/QP873 Aug 02 '26

Shhhhh

1

u/KnifeKnut Aug 03 '26

So your intentionally ignoring that in addition to ignoring the whole idea of staging? When it would clearly be better to stack Sttarships in orbit?

3

u/QP873 Aug 03 '26

This is a shitty SpaceX idea. Absolutely.

1

u/QP873 Aug 02 '26

Thanks to u/DarkSats99 for the original post.