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Welcome to Edition 2.03 of the Rocket Report! We're a week in June, and the small-space race is heating up, just like the Northern Hemisphere. While Stratolaunch appears to have gone by the wayside-official denials of notwithstanding-Virgin Orbit is moving forward with plans to launch the United Kingdom and Japan. Meanwhile, efforts to build spaceports in Australia and Canada have also advanced.
As always, we 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 at the next three launches on the calendar.
Stratolaunch may be grounded for good. The aerospace company founded by Paul Allen, Stratolunch, is closing operations, according to a report by Reuters that cited anonymous sources. In response to a question from the topic of possible ending operations, a spokeswoman for the Seattle-based company replied, "We are not having any news or announcements to share this time." Stratolaunch remains operational.
Would be a sad end … Questions about the future of Stratolaunch arose almost immediately after Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft, died in October 2018 at the age of 65. Earlier, the company ended its efforts to develop a new line of rockets. Now, the grounding of the world's largest airplane is inevitable. It would be a sad day that started with Allen's goal of lowering the cost of access to space. (submitted by ricardoRI and fleisher)
China conducts first orbital sea launch. On Wednesday, a Long March 11 rocket lifted off a floating platform in the Yellow Sea off the eastern province of Shandong, NASASpaceFlight.com reports. The four-stage solid-fueled rocket with seven satellites into orbit.
A commercial deal … This is China's first space launch from a sea-based platform, which will offer more flexibility to the country's launch industry. The sea launch developed as part of a WEY partnership, a premium SUV subsidiary of Great Wall Motors, the China Space Foundation, and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. WEY vehicles were prominent during the countdown and launch of the rocket, making for a somewhat unusual show. (submitted by JohnCarter17, UnrulyCow, and Ken the Bin)
UK to fund spaceport for Virgin Orbit. The UK Space Agency and local government announced plans Tuesday to invest as much as $ 25 million in facilities at a British airport, SpaceNews reports. The funds will be able to launch the operations by the Virgin Islands and allow for the development of "facilities and operational capabilities" at the Cornwall Spaceport, enabling them to carry their launches using their LauncherOne air-launch system.
Flights in a few years … If nothing else, the agreement shows that prospective spaceports are willing to support companies with operational (or just operational) rockets. Virgin will contribute about $ 3 million to the project, which should be allowed to begin flying in the early 2020s. "Dan Hart, chief executive of Virgin Orbit, said in a statement." We are very proud to play a role in bringing about a breakthrough. Virgin Orbit still anticipates that LauncherOne will make its first orbital flight this year. Separately, Virgin also announced a deal with Japan-based ANA Holdings for Missions. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
NASA to launch rockets from Australia. NASA will work with Equatorial Launch Australia to launch rockets into space from the startup's Arnhem Space Center in 2020. The Sydney Morning Herald reports. The financial terms of the deal with NASA are the most important of the multimillion-dollar arena in the coming years.
Near the equator … The new spaceport is located between Darwin and Cairns on the northern side of Australia, and NASA will use it to launch sounding rockets to test instruments on satellites and spacecraft. Among the benefits of the new spaceport to the equator, good access to a deep-water port, and a city-quality airport. (submitted by David Woodward)
Vega-C rocket moves into qualifying testing. Europe's Vega-C rocket has completed its critical design review. Final tests in the qualification phase will verify the design and manufacturing processes, assembly and flight hardware and software, and associated ground support systems.
Building on a success … Arianespace has also finished adaptations to the existing Vega launch complex in French Guiana, including mobile gantry cantilever reinforcements, platform shutters, and a new overhead traveling that would enable Vega-C missions. The original Vega rocket has been something of a commercial success for Europe, so it will be interesting to see how well the Vega-C booster does. (Submitted by Ken the Bin and Unruly Cow)
Nova Scotia spaceports wins environmental approval. The company is proposing a rocket-launching facility on the East Coast of Nova Scotia on Tuesday, CBC reports. Maritime Launch Services wants to build a private launch site to send satellites into space for near Earth imaging, communications, and scientific experiments.
Finding a launch site for the Cyclone-4M … Environmental officials were most concerned about the hydrazine fuel used by Ukrainian-built Cyclone 4M rockets, which may be launched from the proposed facility. Management plans for noise, wildlife, environmental protection, transportation of hazardous materials, and environmental remediation. But there are no showstoppers. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
Wisconsin rocket-engine facility opens. Sierra Nevada Corp. has completed a $ 20 million facility on the site of the Badger Army Ammunition training to test rocket engines built in Madison, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. Engineers at Sierra Nevada's Wisconsin division, orbitec, are developing four rocket engines, including one that will steer the Dream Chaser spacecraft.
Bringing space to the state … Tom Crabb, vice president of SNC's propulsion and environmental systems, said, "We're bringing rocket science to Wisconsin on a daily basis and making it a business in Wisconsin." The Nevada-based company, which has about 250 employees in Wisconsin, will work on the Vortex and other engines in the state. (submitted by N9IWP and Ken the Bin)
SpaceX preparing for $ 1 billion satellite launch. As early as June 12, SpaceX will attempt to launch a Canadian satellite worth $ 1 billion from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Built by Maxar for the Canadian Space Agency, the Radarsat Constellation Mission included three remote-sensing spacecraft designed with large surface-scanning radars as their primary payload, Teslarati reports.
Crew Dragon rocket back in action Due to the value of the satellites, the Falcon 9 booster. The Teslarati on the Falcon 9 first stage first used in the Crew Dragon test mission that flew in March for NASA. (Captainbob23)
Russia launches first Proton rocket of 2019. A Russian Proton rocket launched the Yamal-601 satellite communications for Gazprom Space Systems late last week, completing the first of six Proton missions planned for this year, SpaceNews reports. All said well, the satellite is healthy.
Whither commercial? Eutelsat-5 West B Satellite and Northrop Grumman's First Mission Extension Vehicle, MEV-1. This is not optimal as Russia seeks to continue selling Proton launches on the commercial market through its International Launch Services sales arm. (submitted by Ken the Bin).
Study argues for a new era of exploration. The Reason Foundation has published a study on how best to accelerate the current era of exploration and economic development of space. The report outlines a 10-year plan in which the private sector assumes responsibility for all space transportation, large payload launch vehicles and launch operations, in-space facilities, and more. The Reason Foundation is a libertarian think tank.
NASA moves into a VC mode … Led by Jeff Greason and James Bennett, the study says US space activity should be more trade focused. What would NASA do? "NASA in this new paradigm would be more of a venture capitalist, making an investment in the infrastructure that serves both government and commercial transportation needs, and that industry is increasingly self-sustaining financially," the study suggests.
Orion launch motor ships to Florida. Northrop Grumman announces that it has shipped the abort for NASA's Orion spacecraft Launch Abort System from the company's facility in Magna, Utah, to Kennedy Space Center, Florida. NASA's Space Launch System, now named Artemis-1, will be integrated with the Launch Abort System and Orion spacecraft.
Now that's confidence … "The solid propulsion would be inspiring confidence in any future Orion crew members and their families," said Charlie Precourt, vice president, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman. This suggests high confidence in the abort motor to be used for Orion, considering that the full system will not be tested until this July, with Orion's Ascent Abort-2 flight test.
Next three launches
June 12: Falcon 9 | Radarsat constellation | Vandenberg AFB, Calif. | 14:17 UTC
June 20: Ariane 5 | DirecTV 16 and Eutelsat 7C satellites | Kourou, French Guiana | 21:41 UTC
June 21: Proton-M | Spektr-RG X-ray observatory | Baikonur, Kazakhstan | 13:44 UTC
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