Trevor Merlman
Welcome to the 5.24th edition of the Rocket Report! There’s a blurb about it below, but the news for me this week is that not only did SpaceX launch the Falcon Heavy rocket, but two Falcon 9 missions on another coast. It was launched in just five days. The operational challenges of this are immense and I believe are underestimated outside of those directly involved in this type of work.
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.
ABL update on RS1 failureOn Wednesday, ABL Space Systems provided an update on the January 10 failure of its RS1 rocket. Briefly, at 10.87 seconds from the start of the flight he experienced a “complete power loss” of the first stage, causing all nine main engines to shut down simultaneously. The rocket hit the ground about 20 meters from the launch site. “Approximately 95% of the vehicle’s total propellant mass was still on board, creating an energy explosion and overpressure wave that damaged nearby equipment and facilities,” the company said.
rocket caught fire … the company has launched an anomaly investigation. “There is some visual evidence of fire or smoke near the vehicle QD and engine bay after liftoff,” ABL wrote. “Just before the power loss, a handful of sensors began to drop out in quick succession. This evidence suggests that an unwanted fire spread through the avionics system, causing the entire system to fail. A second RS1 rocket is fully assembled and ready for stage testing, but will need the results of an anomaly investigation to inform its launch timeline. Thanks to her ABL for providing transparent and detailed updates. (Posted by Ken the Bin)
Europe’s Reusable Rocket CEO Criticizes ReuseThe CEO of Maia Space explained the challenges of reusing small rockets in an interview with a French TV station. Yohann Leroy explained that while he confirmed that performance dropped by two-thirds when the launcher was withdrawn, it was not possible to reduce the cost of the launcher by the same amount with this model. He reports European Spaceflight. “Paradoxically, implementing reuse in smaller launchers actually results in higher costs per kilogram fired,” said Leroy.
Damn it! … The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of ArianeGroup, which manufactures the Ariane rocket fleet. Leroy made the comments when MyaSpace opened its doors to third-party investors. Today, the company employs about 30 people, aiming to develop small reusable rockets and then working on large reusable rockets. Leroy may be right about the repurposing economics of small launches, but the best word for potential investors is “Our business is completely unsustainable!” I don’t know if it’s a sales pitch. (Provided by EllPeaTea)
Stratolaunch Completes Second Captive Carry FlightThis week, Stratolaunch announced that its extra-large Roc aircraft has completed its second test flight with the Talon-A test aircraft. During the six-hour flight, the aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 22,500 feet and the team gathered information on aerodynamic loads before the release point of his Talon-A reusable hypersonic vehicle.
big planes, small vehicles … This was a test version of a small shuttle-like vehicle. A review of the flight data determines the next steps in the testing timeline. Stratolaunch said separation tests and he continue to move forward for the first hypersonic flight of his Talon-A 1 in the first half of 2023. (Posted by Ken the Bin)
Chinese firm builds spaceport in AfricaThe Hong Kong- and Shanghai-based group has reached a memorandum of understanding with the Djibouti government to build a billion-dollar commercial spaceport in the Horn of Africa, reports Parabolic Arc. The Djibouti Spaceport, which will be built in the North Obock region near the mouth of the Red Sea, will be Africa’s first orbital spaceport. It is believed to constitute an area of 10 square kilometers.
Not without geopolitical implications … construction of the spaceport is expected to begin after a formal agreement is signed by both parties in March, according to reports. The project is expected to take five years. This is a notable development, as it is easy to understand Chinese companies’ interest in launching from around 10 degrees north of the equator. But Chinese rivals are also interested in Djibouti. The US Navy operates nearby Camp Lemonnier, the only permanent US military base in Africa. France also has large military bases in the country.
