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Welcome to Edition 1.21 of the Rocket Report! This week, one space tourism company says it is coming to space "within weeks" while another company says it will not fly humans until early 2019. Meanwhile, there's no shortage of big rocket news, including a report critical of Boeing's management of the Space Launch System rocket.
As always, we would like to make 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 at the next three launches on the calendar.
Blue Origin delays first New Shepard flights. The space venture founded by billionaire billionaire Jeff Bezos is now a suborbital space trip during the first half of 2019, GeekWire reports. Blue Origin's plan calls for its own employees to get aboard for the first crewed flights. The company already has astronauts on its payroll, including Nicholas Patrick and Jeff Ashby. When the publication asked Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith whether the first crew has been selected, he replied, "I'm not going to be on that."
No ticket price, either … Smith said Blue Origin had not talked about a ticket price. Maybe that's so. Maybe it's not. The company is not ready to say how many flights to "test passengers". As always, Blue Origin says it's going to be safe. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
"Price swings" likely ahead in new era of launch. The next two to three years will be a time of adjustment in the space launch industry, SpaceNews carryforwards. "Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit's President and Chief Executive, said at an industry meeting. "Some will take, some will shake out." One to two years, Hart said. After that, he anticipates more price stability and profitability.
A new era … We are not there yet, but we will soon be moving forward. Probably overabundance. This will cause many aspiring rocket companies to fail while some succeed. The winners of this will undoubtedly be the satellite operators and other innovators seeking lower-cost access to space. So while we're headed for a better place, the ride may be painful.
Richard Branson says Virgin will be in space in weeks not months. "The Virgin founder and CEO told CNBC at the Barclays Asia Forum in Singapore on Tuesday. "We will be in space with people who are not so long after that, so we have got a very, very exciting couple of months ahead."
We'll see … Virgin has said that it is the one of the VSS Unity spacecraft into space as part of its test flight program. We're hopeful that happens far from certain. Also, it probably depends on whether Virgin's definition of "space" is closer to 80km or 100km. As always, we wish Virgin and its test pilots the best of fortune.
Astra Space schedules another commercial launch. From the US Department of Homeland Security and the Alaska Aerospace Corporation indicate the launch of Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island is planned for Friday, with backup dates scheduled for October 16, according to reports. The Astra Space, which is licensed for a suborbital flight of its "Rocket 1" vehicle.
A secretive start … The Alameda, California-based company (sometimes styled ASTRA) said a 21-second flight in July was a success, it was released. Similarly, Astra Space has been released for the first time. Hopefully, some day the company will share more.
UP Aerospace offers $ 1 million small-sat launches. Suborbital launch company UP Aerospace is halfway through funding an all-solid propellant rocket called Spyder, SpaceNews carryforwards. The company hopes to meet the demands of the world. UP is developing the four-stage Spyder rocket for a debut in 2021, and it intends to carry it to the bottom of the world.
Storing solids The company believes it can offer the US government a rapid-launch capability by stockpiling multiple rockets and then launching them on demand. It's an interesting business idea and just one of many innovative approaches emerging from the commercial industry. (submitted by Unrulycow)
Firefly signs a deal to launch York satellites. Firefly announced it's teaming up with Denver-based York Space Systems to launch York's satellite S-CLASS, up to four per launch, AustinInno reports. York's small satellites are versatile enough to be configured for space startups, government clients, and others.
Latest sign of life … This is the latest book from the Austin-based rocket company. There is also talk of the Florida Space Agency trying to lure the company and its rocket to the Cape Canaveral launch complex. It's great to see healthy signals from York.
A Soyuz rocket failed Thursday, but the crew survived. At 4:40 am EDT, a Soyuz rocket took off carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin at the International Space Station. The ascent proceeded normally until the separation of the second stage. (Rumors are circulating about a problem with one or more strap-on boosters). Because the Soyuz spacecraft did not reach orbit the point of this booster failure, the crew was forced to make a rapid ballistic strike. They survived.
So many questions … What exactly happened? How long will Russia's investigation take? How long will the Soyuz be grounded? When can the commercial crew vehicles be ready? How long can the crew in orbit realistically stay on board? We are now living in the nightmare of a single-point failure in 2011. Not a good place for NASA or Roscosmos (or the world) to be.
The Air Force chooses its rockets for the 2020s. On Wednesday, the US Air Force awarded its much-anticipated new round of "Launch Service Agreements," which provide funds to rocket companies to complete their development boosters. The three big winners were United Launch Alliance, Northrop Grumman, and Blue Origin. The military is betting big on the Vulcan, Omega, and New Glenn rockets for its national security payloads.
Where was SpaceX? We know SpaceX bid for these awards, but we do not know what it is for. The military already has the Falcon Heavy as a rocket that can meet all of its reference orbits. Air Force officials may also feel that, because of NASA contracts for commercial cargo and crew, the government has already facilitated development of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy-which uses three Falcon 9 rocket cores.
SpaceX appears to be practicing catching fairings. Teslarati reports that SpaceX is one-half dropping a payload of a helicopter to test the ability of its Mr. Steven boat to catch them with a large net. Long-distance photos show an "oddly arranged" Falcon 9 payload fairing half with harness connections so it could be released from a helicopter.
Keep experimenting The company has not succeeded in catching payload fairings yet. But what seems clear is that SpaceX is going to keep it going, and the company is willing to go to great lengths to get there. It's hard not to applaud this kind of self-initiative in spaceflight. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
Did a piece of rocket wash on a Carolina island? A mystery came out of the ocean on South Carolina 's Seabrook Island earlier this month. It could be a piece of space hardware, but authorities have not identified it yet. It might be made of concrete, but Marine Mammal network officials say that's deceiving, the Charlotte Observer carryforwards. Touch it and it feels like a "soft foam," said the network, adding that the mystery was quickly whisked away by town officials.
We have no idea what it is … Maybe you do? There is a clear photograph on Facebook. (submitted by Bart Stevens)
NASA IG report raises serious questions about SLS. A new report from NASA's general inspector makes clear how badly the Space Launch System rocket development process has gone. The report lays the blame mostly at the feet of Boeing, Ars reports. "We found Boeing's poor performance is the main reason for the significant cost increases and delays to developing the SLS core stage," the report, signed by NASA Inspector General Paul Martin, states.
Delays, cost overruns, and more … There is a lot of detail about the report, which provides one of our few glimpses behind the scenes of SLS program management. NASA's recent report (June 2020) maiden launch date for SLS. It remains unclear whether or not this report will be given in excess of $ 2 billion a year.
Boeing provides an update on the Upper Stage Exploration. Rocket's upper stage slowdown down? According to John Shannon's Boeing's, it's because NASA wants more performance from the EUS. When asked by SpaceNews Shannon said: "It's a very open-ended discussion with NASA … We're going on and off. with some really great options for NASA to consider. "
With all due respect John Shannon, a truly talented engineer who has helped NASA close the space shuttle program. But we have heard of the reasons for doing business in the United States, and the reasons for doing nothing with NASA seeking a higher-performing upper internship from Boeing. We hope to be able to say more in the months ahead. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
Next three launches
Oct. 15: Long March 3B | Beidou-3 M15 & Beidou-3 M16 satellites | Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China | 4:15 UTC
Oct. 17: Atlas V | Advanced Extremely High Frequency-4 satellite | Cape Canaveral, Florida | 4:15 UTC
Oct. 20: Ariane 5 | BepiColombo Mercury probe | Kourou, French Guiana | 1:45 UTC
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