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Welcome to the 5.29th edition of the Rocket Report! It’s been a big week for new rockets, with the failure of Japan’s new H3 booster and the imminent launch of Relativity Space’s Terran 1. Over $2.5 billion for the rocket’s debut flight. It was, um, bold.
Note: No newsletter next week as I will be spending Spring Break with my family
As always, we look forward to reading your contributions. If you don’t want to miss an issue, use the box below to subscribe (the form is not visible in his AMP-enabled version of the site). Each report includes information on small, medium and heavy rockets and a summary of his next three launches on the calendar.
Identify the root cause of the latest Vega failureAn independent commission of inquiry investigating the December 2022 Vega C mission loss found that a defect in the carbon-carbon material used in the throat insert of the second stage nozzle of the Zefiro 40 was the root cause of the failure. I found The committee recommended that Avio implement an alternative solution using a different carbon-carbon material for the nozzle of his Zefiro 40.
Pause Vega C for a while … material already manufactured by ArianeGroup and installed in Vega’s flight-proven Zefiro 23 and Zefiro 9 nozzles. However, this change will take time and the aircraft is expected to return to flight by the end of 2023. In order to eliminate as much disruption to the vehicle’s launch manifest as possible, Arianespace decided to reassign his Vega C mission to Vega C. He is one of two old Vega launchers that remain. This mission is scheduled to launch by the end of summer. (Courtesy of Buddy, Ken the Bin and EllPeaTea)
Theory of Relativity Scrubs First Terran-1 Launch AttemptRelativity Space stopped counting down after arriving within 70 seconds of launching the Terran 1 rocket on Wednesday because the upper stage methane temperature reading was “out of range,” Ars reports. The company retried his second countdown during his three-hour launch window, but it was canceled due to time constraints. “Thank you for playing,” Launch director Clay Walker told the team. The launch attempt was reset at 1:00 PM (18:00 UTC) on Saturday.
set your expectations accordingly … No private company has ever launched the first independently developed liquid-fueled rocket to orbit on its first attempt. Relativity is pushing many boundaries with their methane-fueled boosters. Perhaps the biggest test here is whether his 3D-printed structure of Terran 1 can withstand the dynamic pressures rising through the lower atmosphere. (Provided by EllPeaTea)
Space Force Assigns Cape Launch PadWednesday was a big day for small launch companies as the U.S. Space Force implemented what it calls a “Launch Pad Allocation Strategy”. To do. ABL Space will fly from Space Launch Complex-15, Stoke Space will split SLC-14, and Phantom Space and Vaya Space will split SLC-13.
find a house … receiving a launch clearance from the nation’s oldest and most important spaceport is an important milestone for a new small launch company. “We are very excited about this opportunity. I’m looking forward to it.” (Posted by Ken the Bin)
New book dives deep into small launch. Ashley Vance when heaven is for sale will be published in about two months and will be a good read for anyone interested in the commercial launch industry, Ars concludes. He introduced his four companies: Planet, Rocket Lab, Astra, and Firefly. When I say “profiled,” he spent weeks, possibly months, living and visiting with the founders and their employees to gain unparalleled access to their businesses. means that you have provided
Plenty of meat on the bone … I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in space, especially if you want to know how space startups work behind the promises and marketing. This book offers real insight into these companies and the people who work there. The view to Astra, which Vance has had essentially free access to over the years, is pretty incredible. Similarly, Vance spent weeks with Firefly investor Max Polyakov and Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck. The result is a book detailing the good, the bad, and the ugly of this industry. full of ugly
Vector Launch Partners with Ursa MajorVector Launch, which went bankrupt in 2019, appears to be back with plans to build the Vector-R rocket. For an improved version of the rocket, Vector is buying a Hadley engine built by Ursa Major, Payload reports. Vector’s first launch is “soon,” the company said. Hey, maybe. Let’s see.
engine constellation … Ursa Major is a promising propulsion company that manufactures the 5,000 lbs per thrust Hadley engine, with larger engines under development. In addition to Vector, the company supplies his Hadley engines to Phantom Space, Stratolaunch, and other commercial and government customers. This is interesting because Jim Cantrell, who led Vector to bankruptcy, now runs Phantom Space. (Posted by Ken the Bin)
