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Welcome to Issue 6. 42 of the Rocket Report! Several primary projects are expected to be submitted in the coming months. These include the team’s first flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, scheduled to lift off on May 6, and the upcoming test flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, which may not take up position until the end of May. Perhaps as early as this summer, SpaceX could launch the Polaris Dawn project with four private astronauts, who will conduct the first fully publicized spacewalk in orbit. In June or July, Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket is expected to be introduced for the first time. Rest assured, Ars will have you covered.
As always, we welcome submissions from readers, and if you don’t need to miss any issues, please subscribe to the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-compatible versions of the site). Each report will come with a form in small size, medium and heavy range rockets, as well as a quick review of the next 3 scheduled launches.
A German rocket arrives at Scotland’s spaceport. Rocket Factory Augsburg has delivered a booster for its privately evolved RFA One rocket to the SaxaVord spaceport in Scotland, the company announced on X. The first level of the RFA One rocket was installed on its launch pad at SaxaVord to make arrangements for a static fire test. The booster arrived at the Scottish launch with five of its Helix engines fueled with kerosene. The remaining four Helix engines, for a total of nine, will be installed on SaxaVord’s RFA One thruster, the company said.
With the goal of flying this year. . . RFA expects to launch its first orbital-class rocket by the end of 2024. Last month, the U. K. ‘s Civil Aviation Authority granted a diversity license to the SaxaVord spaceport to allow the spaceport operator to control the sea and airspace. a statement. RFA receives mostly private funding, but has secured monetary support from the European Space Agency, the UK Space Agency, and the German Space Agency, known as DLR. The RFA One rocket will have 3 stages and will measure approximately 30 meters in height. , and will be able to carry approximately 2,900 pounds (1,300 kilograms) of payload into a sun-synchronous polar orbit.
Arianearea wins ESA’s release contract. The European Space Agency has awarded Arianearea a contract for the launch of a joint Sino-European space science satellite by the end of 2025, reports European Spaceflight. The Solar Wind Magnetosphere and Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) is a 4,850-pound (2,200-kilogram) satellite spacecraft that will examine Earth’s magnetic environment on a global scale. The goal of the project is to build a more complete connection between the Sun and Earth. On Tuesday, ESA officially signed a contract with Arianearea for the launch of SMILE aboard a Vega C rocket, built through Italian rocket manufacturer Avio.
But he probably won’t put it off. . . At the end of 2023, ESA Member States agreed to allow Avio to market and manage the release of Vega C flights independently of Arianespace. When the deal was first closed, 17 flights had been made. booked through Arianespace to be introduced into Vega vehicles. While those missions are still controlled through Arianespace, Avio is working with the launcher to strike a deal that would allow the Italian rocket maker to take control of all Vega flights. The Vega C rocket has been grounded since a launch failure in 2022 forced Avio to redesign the rocket’s solid fuel moment-level engine nozzle. The Vega C is expected to resume flight before the end of 2024 (sent via Ken the Bin).
An update on the timing of ABL’s launch. ABL Space Systems planned to launch its second RS1 light rocket earlier this year, but the company found an anomalous surface in testing at the launch site in Alaska, according to TechCrunch’s Aria Alamalhodaei. Kevin Sagis, lead engineer at ABL, said “there was no significant delay. “”At the launch of the second RS1 rocket, the company did not yet announce a corporate timeline. “During floor tests to verify that the vehicle was stolen, a challenge arose that forced us to return to the hangar,” Sagis said. according to Alamalhodaei. ” We have since solved and fixed the problem. There was no loss of equipment and we validated the condition of the vehicle on the platform. We are proceeding with arrangements for firing and static release. “
Nearly 16 months without launchArray. ABL’s first RS1 test flight in January 2023 ended seconds after liftoff with the premature shutdown of its liquid-fueled engines. The rocket crashed into its launch pad in Alaska. An investigation revealed that a chimney at the rear of the RS1 booster had burned out the wiring harnesses, causing the rocket to lose strength and shut down its engines. Engineers found the rocket’s cell release bracket too small, hitting the rocket too close to the ground when it ignited its engines. Engine exhaust recirculated underneath the rocket and caused a chimney in the engine compartment during takeoff.
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