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by scottshambaugh 603 days ago
> SpaceX determined they didn't need super tight tolerances and called it a day

Yup! This is my conclusion in the article - the landing box for the Super Heavy booster is 5x13x18 meters on each side, with 5-15 degrees of angular tolerance in each of the vehicle axes. So the margins are big enough that you don't need millimeter level precision for the rocket position.

1 comments

> Could you use other real-time distance measurements like laser rangefinding or visual processing? I don’t think so

This is the part I question though. Seems like an org as well motivated as SpaceX could easily solve that if it was necessary.

My take is that it would probably be possible with enough effort, but there isn't an easy solution. And if you don't need it then the best part is no part. :)