Stephen Clark / Ars Technica
Welcome to Version 6.20 of the Rocket Report! We apologize for lacking final week, however each Stephen and I had been in transit to South Texas for the Starship launch. To make up for it this week’s report is additional lengthy, and a day early because of the Thanksgiving vacation in the USA. However that does not imply the spaceflight motion stops, with an eagerly awaited scorching hearth check of the Ariane 6 rocket anticipated Thursday. See under for particulars on methods to watch stay.
As all the time, we welcome reader submissions, and in the event you do not wish to miss a difficulty, please subscribe utilizing the field under (the shape won’t seem on AMP-enabled variations of the positioning). Every report will embody data on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets in addition to a fast look forward on the subsequent three launches on the calendar.
North Korea launches spy satellite tv for pc. North Korea’s launch of a small, solid-fueled Chŏllima-1 rocket, which has a capability of about 300 kg to low-Earth orbit, seems to have been profitable, Reuters reviews. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and astrophysicist on the Harvard–Smithsonian Middle for Astrophysics, mentioned the US House Drive knowledge had cataloged two new objects in an orbital aircraft in line with the launch from North Korea on the time said by Pyongyang.
Did Russia assist? … “I conclude the objects are the spy satellite tv for pc and the rocket higher stage,” McDowell instructed the information service. What stays unconfirmed, nonetheless, is whether or not its payload, the reconnaissance satellite tv for pc Malligyong-1, is working and whether or not the North acquired any outdoors assist. South Korea’s spy company has mentioned North Korea might have overcome technical hurdles with the assistance of Russia, which in September publicly pledged to assist Pyongyang construct satellites. (submitted by EllPeaTea, Ken the Bin, and tsunam)
Firefly raises vital funding. It is actually not the most effective of instances for an area firm to boost cash, however Firefly appears to be having success regardless. The firm just lately introduced that it has raised about $300 million since February 2023, valuing the corporate at $1.5 billion. “We’ve been profitable at elevating funds at an elevated valuation on this difficult capital markets surroundings resulting from our concentrate on manufacturing and mission execution,” mentioned Invoice Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace.
Numerous strains of enterprise … Together with Firefly’s current responsive launch success with the VICTUS NOX mission, the corporate mentioned it has been awarded contracts for a number of Alpha rocket missions, together with a NASA flight, and launch agreements with Lockheed Martin and L3Harris. The corporate additionally received a number of US authorities and industrial contracts, together with three NASA Industrial Lunar Payload Companies process orders, with its Blue Ghost lander. Firefly can also be creating a medium-lift rocket with Northrop Grumman. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
Rocket Lab targets November return to flight. Rocket Lab expects to renew Electron launches in late November after concluding {that a} “largely inconceivable” mixture of occasions precipitated the car’s earlier launch to fail, House Information reviews. The corporate is concentrating on a return to flight of Electron no sooner than November 28 from the corporate’s Launch Advanced 1 in New Zealand. The rocket will carry a radar imaging satellite tv for pc for the Japanese firm iQPS on a devoted mission.
An surprising electrical arc … Electron has been grounded since a September 19 launch failure, when the second-stage engine appeared to close down moments after ignition. The corporate has already acquired authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration to renew launches. In an earnings name to debate the corporate’s third-quarter monetary outcomes, Rocket Lab Chief Government Peter Beck mentioned the failure occurred shortly, with only one.6 seconds of information from the primary indication of an issue with the car to the lack of telemetry. “This was all the time going to be a extremely advanced subject to determine,” he mentioned. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
Ursa Main to focus on strong rocket motor market. CEO Joe Laurienti mentioned the corporate sees a possibility to make use of 3D printing to disrupt an trade constrained by outdated processes, House Information reviews. The manufacturing of strong rocket motors in the USA is “tormented by a damaged provide chain and an overextended industrial base,” Laurienti mentioned. “Most folk weren’t actually being attentive to the economic base round this till Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
Surging demand for missiles in Ukraine … Whereas giant strong rocket motors are employed by huge launch automobiles akin to NASA’s House Launch System and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan, they’re most generally utilized in army weapon programs like missiles and rockets. Northrop Grumman and L3Harris’ Aerojet Rocketdyne are the nation’s main suppliers of strong rocket motors. The battle in Ukraine has uncovered cracks within the US industrial base, which has struggled to fulfill surging demand for essential munitions just like the Javelin and Stinger missile programs that rely upon strong rocket motors. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
SaxaVord owes contractors cash. A spaceport being constructed on the Shetland Islands north of the Scottish mainland is having monetary difficulties, European Spaceflight reviews. Shetland House Centre Restricted owes roughly 1 million kilos to Shetland-based DITT Building for the event of the spaceport. The corporate at the moment doesn’t have the funds to pay the quantity after a £139 million debt facility promised by CEO Frank Strang in Could did not materialize. The development of SaxaVord Spaceport started in late March 2022. At its peak, greater than 60 folks had been engaged on website to construct out key infrastructure that might allow the ability to assist launches of small rockets from Scottish shores.
One launch firm nonetheless going, one other pulls out … In January 2023, Germany’s Rocket Manufacturing unit Augsburg introduced that it had secured unique rights to the one launch pad that had been accomplished. With testing of the RFA ONE core stage anticipated to start on the website in early 2024, this seems to be one of many components of SaxaVord that has been accomplished on schedule. In probably associated information, one other German launch startup, HyImpulse Applied sciences, mentioned it might make the debut flight of its suborbital SR75 launch car from the Southern Launch Koonibba Check Vary in Australia as an alternative of the beforehand introduced SaxaVord. (submitted by Ken the Bin and EllPeaTea)
Spanish startup makes progress on methalox engine. Barcelona-based Pangea Aerospace just lately introduced a profitable check of the combustion chamber for its ARCOS aerospike engine. “We had been additionally capable of validate the superior manufacturing strategies and supplies used, which signify breakthrough applied sciences for the aerospace trade,” the corporate said. Pangea says that is the primary aerospike engine developed utilizing liquid methane as a propellant.
A step towards full reuse … The ARCOS engine is designed to have a thrust of 300 kN, or about one-third that of a Merlin 1D rocket engine. It’s meant to fly on each the primary stage and higher stage of a reusable launch car. The corporate’s expertise is just not on the maturity stage of Stoke House, nevertheless it does look like the primary Europe-based startup making an attempt to construct a completely reusable rocket. (submitted by Leika)