Welcome to edition 4.36 of the Rocket Report! When I took spring break last week, there’s quite a bit of news to come this week, including positive steps forward for some small US launch companies and SpaceX hitting another milestone with its Falcon 9 rocket.
As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don’t want to miss any issue, subscribe using the box below. (The form will not appear on AMP-compatible versions of the site.) Each report includes information on small, medium, and heavy missiles, as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.
Astra successfully returns to flight† Astra launched its Rocket 3.3 vehicle on March 15 and placed several payloads in low Earth orbit, SpaceNews reports. The Rocket 3.3 vehicle, designated LV0009 by Astra, took flight from Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island and provided payloads for Spaceflight Inc. to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 525 kilometers. This success followed a failed February 10 launch of the Rocket 3.3 vehicle. The failure was caused by a fault in the wiring system in the cargo cockpit.
Back on track … Just before launch, Astra announced that the flight was part of a multimission deal with Spaceflight Inc. The terms of the “multi-launch” contract were not disclosed. Astra, a publicly traded company, saw its shares jump about 20 percent in the week after its successful launch, indicating that the company has finally solved the problems with the Rocket 3.3 booster. More success will of course lead to more confidence in Astra, but this was a good start. (submitted by Ken the Bin and EllPeaTea)
Firefly gains access to the spaceport, new funding† Firefly Aerospace will make its second attempt at orbiting Earth with its Alpha rocket in May, after the government receives permission to resume launch operations, CNBC reports. Firefly CEO Tom Markusic said the company “worked methodically and with the government” to both complete a divestment and add “security protocols”. With these moves complete, Markusic said the company now has “full access to our facilities to go back and launch” from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Infusion of money …The government had halted Firefly’s launch operations in Vandenberg at the end of 2021, as Ukrainian software entrepreneur Max Polyakov had to sell his 50 percent stake in Firefly. The divestment came late last month, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. Separately, Firefly also closed a $75 million fundraising round led by AE Industrial Partners, which Markusic says means the company’s broader growth plan is “fully funded.” This is good news for Firefly, as it aims to keep Alpha flying regularly and developing its Blue Moon lunar lander. (submitted by EllPeaTea and Ken the Bin)
Ursa Major starts delivering engines† Startup Ursa Major announced on Wednesday that it has completed qualification of its Hadley rocket engine for use by both a space launch vehicle and a hypersonic launch system. The Colorado-based company said it has already started supplying flight-ready Hadley engines to two customers, Phantom Space and Stratolaunch, and plans to produce a total of 30 engines this year. Because Hadley is intended to serve multiple users, the engine has undergone significantly more testing time, about 40,000 seconds so far, Ars reports.
Looking for cost control … The Hadley engine is relatively small as rocket engines go, with about 5,000 pounds of thrust. At that level of performance, the Hadley is comparable to Rocket Lab’s Rutherford engine, nine of which power the first stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket. Ursa Major is a new space startup that focuses on developing just rocket engines rather than the entire rocket. It has sought to keep engine costs low by using mass-market 3D printers and by maintaining a relatively low workforce. The total number of employees at Ursa Major only recently exceeded 200. To date, the company has raised approximately $140 million.
Blue Origin ready for next New Shepar . launch† Blue Origin’s first launch of 2021 will take place on March 29. While the company originally said actor Pete Davidson would be a guest on this flight, it later said he was “no longer able” to participate in the mission. Blue Origin chose Gary Lai to fly in his place. Lai may not be as famous as Davidson, but he definitely deserves more. An employee of Blue Origin, he was the architect of the New Shepard system and is highly regarded in the industry. It’s great to see him get the chance to fly.
Another deserving passenger too … Also on this suborbital flight will be Marty Allen, couple Sharon and Marc Hagle, Jim Kitchen and George Nield (also a very creditable passenger for his work on commercial space with the FAA). This mission is the fourth human flight for the New Shepard program and the 20th overall flight in the program’s history. Launch is currently scheduled for 8:30 a.m. CT (13:30 UTC) from Launch Site One in West Texas. (submitted by Ken de Bin)
RFA says no engine worries because of Ukraine† Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) announced earlier this month that it has named the staged combustion engine for its RFA One launch vehicle “Helix” after a public competition. Nine of the engines, which have a thrust of 22,500 pounds and are powered by kerosene and liquid oxygen, will power the rocket’s first stage. RFA says it is nearing completion of the first Helix in flight configuration and preparing it for lengthy hot-fire testing. One area of concern hanging over the company is the origin of this engine, and some reports suggest it was purchased from a company in Ukraine.
Will the war affect the company’s plans? … The short answer is no, according to Jonas Kellner, RFA’s head of communications. The longer version: “RFA bought a used turbo pump from Yuzmash once and imported it to Germany with all the necessary import permits. The reason for this was to get started quickly with this hardware and obtain valuable data for itself development of the turbo pump and the other components – which rely heavily on it in a staged combustion engine. This flight configuration Helix is 100 percent designed and built by RFA, and all components are 100 percent IP from RFA. Yuzmash is not a supplier of RFA. Accordingly RFA is completely independent from Yuzmash and feels no direct impact from the war in Ukraine.”
India completes testing of small rocket booster† Indian space agency ISRO has completed testing of the solid fuel-based booster stage of its new Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), The Indian Express reports. This completes the ground testing program of all three phases of the launch vehicle. The new launch vehicle is now ready for its first test flight, which is scheduled for May this year. Typically, ISRO declares a launch vehicle operational after two successful development flights.
Smaller rocket, smaller price …Originally slated to debut in 2020, work on the new vehicle was partially delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new rocket is designed to be smaller, cheaper and quickly assembled for on-demand commercial launches. The SSLV is likely to cost about $4 to $6 million per launch, compared to the $16 to $25 million for a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), India’s workhorse. The SSLV can be put together by a team of six people in seven days, compared to a team of 600 people that takes a few months to put together a PSLV. The launcher will carry a smaller payload of approximately 500 kg compared to 1750 kg carried by PSLV. (submitted by Ken de Bin)
