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Welcome to 1.25 of the Rocket Report! There is some really interesting news from Russia this week, with a potential revival of the Sea Launch platform, concerns about sloppy work at Russian aerospace companies, and Kazakhstan opting for a Falcon 9 launch.
As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you do not want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on the AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead to the next three launches on the calendar.
Stratolaunch test fires PGA engine pre-burner . For the first time, on Nov. 2, the company fired the pre-burner for its PGA engine at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, Space News reports. The pre-burner serves as the second of two combustion chambers in a staged combustion engine. "This is the first step in proving the performance and highly-efficient design of the PGA engine," Jeff Thornburg, vice president of propulsion at Stratolaunch, said.
Still targeting a 2022 flight … Earlier this year the company discloses its plans for the engine, which uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen fuel and has a thrust of 200,000 lbf, to power an air-launched rockets. An initial "Medium Launch Vehicle" will be able to place 3,400 kilograms in low Earth orbit, with a first launched projected for 2022. (submitted by BH and Unrulycow)
DARPA moves ahead with responsive launch competition . DARPA has identified eight sites in the United States that it plans to use for a commercial launch competition, a selection that addresses one of the major concerns of potential competitors, according to Space News. The launch sites of the United States of America
Proposed Azores spaceport appears to be popular . A spaceport concept in the southernmost-island in the Azores, Santa Maria, received 14 formal proposals from international space consortia, the Portuguese news website Expresso reports. Contracts for development of the site may be released in 2019, with the first launch tentatively scheduled for 2021.
A diversity of interest … Among those reportedly interested in such heavy industry ArianeGroup and Roscosmos, as well as some Sierra Nevada Corporation and Virgin Orbit. The Portuguese government had only expected four respondents. (1965-1990) Russian company Space S7 interested in a reusable rocket . S7 Space plans to modernize the Sea Launch floating launch complex for launches of a reusable rocket from it, Company CEO Sergei Sopov told TASS. Developed 20 years ago, the chief executive said.
Must be reusable … S7 Space is the future of future reusable rocket after launch. "We have a hypersonic parachute capable of withstanding reentry heat, or special wings." We will make up our mind during the design phase as a result of more accurate calculations and research, "he said. A private company has no chance of surviving in the market without a reputable rocket, Sopov told the Russian news agency. (submitted by Unrulycow)
Air Force tests a Minuteman III missile . The weapon, with a mock warhead, blasted out of its underground silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 11:01 p.m. For the test, the military sought to travel to the destination. "Joe Thomas," spokesman for Louisiana-based Global Strike Command, "Noozhawk."
No further details . The military would provide no further details of the test. The air force conducts about the Minuteman III missile tests annually from Vandenberg to gather information about the weapon system's accuracy and reliability. The last test, on July 31, ended prematurely with Vandenberg personal sending a self-destruct command due to some unspecific anomaly spotted during the flight.
ConsenSys acquires Planetary Resources . A blockchain company called ConsenSys, Inc. has acquired the pioneering space company Planetary Resources. There is a lot of things to do in the world, but we do not really understand it.
So what's the relevance to launch? … You may have noticed that there is a lot of rocket companies out there with hugely ambitious plans to change space. Certainly, returns to investors are closer to the business than they are in asteroid mining. But the failure of Planetary Resources should not be considered as a cautionary tale. (submitted by Alex Altair)
Kazakhstan chooses SpaceX over a Russian rocket for a launch . When Kazakhstan wanted to get a small scientific satellite called KazSaySat and a satellite technology called KazistiSat into space, the country did not select a Russian rocket. Instead, it thing the US-based launch company SpaceX to reach orbit.
Decision made on price … "The reason for using a Falcon 9 for this launch is that it will be less expensive, "The press secretary of the Ministry of Defense and Aerospace Industry, Aset Nurkenov, said. The satellites will fly on SpaceX's SSO-A rideshare mission scheduled for November. The disclosure is notable as Russia's main spaceport is the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
SpaceX rehearses helicopter-badisted landings . In the unlikely event of an astronaut medical emergency, SpaceX has outfitted its recovery ship, GO Searcher with a medical treatment facility and a helipad in the center of the vessel. Newly arrived in the United States of America in the United States of America in the United States.
More typically … In a normal scenario, Crew Dragon will splash off Florida's eastern coast. GO Searcher is equipped with a crane to lift the capsule of the water and the main deck of the ship. NASA and SpaceX doctors will work together to evaluate the crew onboard the vessel. From there, GO Searcher will head for Cape Canaveral, Florida, where SpaceX teams will take the astronauts to a nearby airport for transportation back to Houston. (1965) Rogozin unhappy with "trashy" aerospace facilities . The Kommersant newspaper obtained a copy of a directive that Rogozin has issued to the leaders of companies and facilities that serve Roscosmos. The purpose of the letter, the newspaper reports, is to help the companies root out "poor manufacturing culture and negligent attitudes of staff to their work."
Shabbily maintained work spaces … "The grounds They have not been cleaned up for years, but they are still working, "his letter states, according to a translation in Ars. "Employees at such companies have become normal, and this is a habit of poor manufacturing culture and a sloppy attitude toward work." Roscosmos, MS-10
Northrop eyes synergy between Omega and SLS After Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems received $ 792 million in federal funding from the Air Force to continue development of their Omega launcher family Kennedy Space Center, NASAS spaceflight.com reports.
Sharing supplies … By producing solid-rocket booster segments for the Space Launch System rocket , and for the Omega rocket, Northrop says, "I see Omega and SLS as highly synergistic, and I think NASA is beginning to see you," Mike Laidley, V President of the Space Launch Program for Northrop. "They are beginning to see the benefits of SLS." It should be noted that SLS is one of the most important things in the world. submitted by BH and Ken the Bin]
SpaceX intends to modify a Falcon 9 upper stage for BFR tests . a Falcon 9: The second stage of the world, a new generation of technologies, and the world of space.
Some questions remain … The second stage will not propulsively landed, "Musk later said, re-confirming that the company is building a" BFR dev ship "intended to test landings at the company's South Texas spaceport. will be a one-off test, or become an oper On the Falcon 9 rocket. (submitted by Unrulycow)
Next three launches
Nov. 11 : Electron | It's Business Time | Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand | 03:00 UTC
Nov. 14 : GSLV Mk III | GSAT-29 | Sriharikota, Republic of India | 11:38 UTC
Nov. 15 : Antares 230 | S.S. John Young Cygnus | Wallops Island, Virginia | 09:49 UTC
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