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نحن لا نرسل البريد العشوائي! اقرأ سياسة الخصوصية الخاصة بنا لمزيد من المعلومات.

A Big Year in Launches – Rocket Report: Vulcan Ready for Launch; Starship Passes Test Before Third Flight

Welcome to version 6.24 of the Rocket Report! This will be the final edition of the newsletter until January 4 – don’t space enthusiasts need a break too! With everything expected to happen in 2024 in the launch world, a break seems like a smart choice. We wish everyone a happy holiday and a healthy, prosperous new year. Until then!

Ranking of the Top 10 Launch Companies in the U.S. for 2023

We have published a list of the top-tier American commercial launch companies. It’s no surprise that SpaceX is at the top, but what’s more interesting is what follows, including a new company in second place. I hope the list sparks controversy, discussion, and appreciation for the challenge of running a successful rocket company.

This is Really Hard Work …

The article concludes with this message, and I think it’s a fitting way to end the calendar year and kick off the holiday season: “As always, I remain amazed by all the talented engineers and entrepreneurs trying to achieve success in the launch industry. It is hard work and demanding, filled with problems. I tip my hat to your tremendous efforts and wish you all success”.

New Shepard Flies Again

After redesigning engine components, Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket launched from West Texas and flew to the edge of space on Tuesday with a payload of scientific research and technology demonstration experiments, according to an Ars report. This was the first flight of the New Shepard rocket since September 12, 2022, when an engine failure destroyed the booster and forced the capsule of the spacecraft to abort during an uncrewed flight.

Does “Soon” Really Mean Soon?

It took 15 months for Blue Origin to return to flying with New Shepard, but the successful launch puts the company on track to resume crewed flights. So when will Blue Origin start flying people again? “After a thorough review of today’s mission, we look forward to flying our next crewed flight soon”, according to Erika Wagner, longtime Blue Origin director who participated in the company’s broadcast of Tuesday’s flight. (Presented by EllPeaTea and Ken the Bin)

Electron Returns Successfully

Rocket Lab successfully launched a Japanese radar imaging satellite on its Electron rocket’s first flight in nearly three months, according to a Space News report. Electron took off from the company’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 11:05 PM EST on December 14. The vehicle carried its payload, the QPS-SAR-5 radar sensing satellite, also known as Tsukuyomi-1, on behalf of the Japanese company iQPS.

Record Number of Launches This Year

This was the first flight of Electron since a failure on September 19 during the launch of another satellite for Capella Space. In that mission, the first stage performed as expected, but the second stage engine shut down immediately upon ignition, preventing it from reaching orbit. This was Electron’s tenth flight of the year, including one launch of an orbital version of Electron called HASTE. (Presented by Ken the Bin)

Shetland Approves Launches in the U.K.

SaxaVord Spaceport has received approval from the Civil Aviation Authority to begin space launches from the small island of Unst in 2024, according to a BBC report. It will be the first fully licensed space facility in Western Europe capable of launching vertically to orbit. Up to 30 launches a year will be allowed to transport satellites and other payloads into space.

Will There Be Launches in the Summer?

The site, which is Scotland’s first space facility, currently has several launch companies from around the world working on developing rockets. The German rocket company HyImpulse is expected to attempt suborbital launches as soon as August this year. Full space launches at SaxaVord are expected to begin in 2025. Cornwall Spaceport was the first licensed space facility in the U.K.; however, its rockets are launched horizontally and transported by aircraft. (Presented by gizmo23 and Ken the Bin)

Information

About the Author

Eric Berger is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering everything from astronomy to private space ventures to the complex politics of NASA. He is also the author of the book Liftoff, which explores the rise of SpaceX. Eric is a certified meteorologist and lives in Houston.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/12/rocket-report-electron-and-new-shepard-return-to-flight-uk-spaceport-gets-ok/?comments=1


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