Rocket Report: Virgin Orbit takes final step before launch, Delta IV on track, Ars Technica

Virgin Orbit completes major pre-launch test. Virgin Orbit completed a captive-carry test flight of its LauncherOne system on Easter Sunday, the final major milestone before the company performs its first orbital launch attempt, SpaceNews reports . Virgin Orbit had performed captive-carry test flights in the past, but this was the first with a flight version of LauncherOne, filled with RP-1 fuel and liquid nitrogen, attached.

Next stop, orbit? .. . During the test, the Cosmic Girl aircraft flew out over the Pacific Ocean south of Santa Barbara, California, to simulate a launch before returning back to the Mojave, with the rocket still attached, about two hours later. During the flight, the plane tested the launch release maneuver, where the plane pulls up sharply after releasing the rocket. The company said this is the final test before an orbital launch attempt. It has not set a public date for that mission. (submitted by platykurtic, JohnCarter , and Ken the Bin

VOX Space wins three Air Force launches . The US Space Force awarded a $ million task order to VOX Space this week for three launches to deliver small satellites to low Earth orbit. VOX Space is the government services arm of Virgin Orbit. The first launch may occur as early as October .

A boost for LauncherOne … The STP-S mission will provide orbital launch services for the Department of Defense’s Space Test Program. It’s a nice win for Virgin Orbit, demonstrating the government confidence in the company’s launch system. For the Space Force, a successful Virgin Orbit brings the military closer to its goal of rapid, responsive launch. (submitted by Ken the Bin, JohnCarter , and platykurtic

Rocket Lab snags contract from Vega . Rocket Lab announced late Tuesday that it had signed another customer to its launch manifest for , a Japanese company named Synspective. Rocket Lab will launch the company’s synthetic-aperture-radar satellite (named StriX-α) late this year from its facility in New Zealand, Ars reports . The satellite has a mass of kg.

Not waiting for Vega … What Tuesday’s announcement did not include was the fact that the Japanese company shuffled this launch from a Vega rocket onto Electron. The Vega rocket, which had its first failure in 17 launches last July, has yet to return to flight. The spaceport it launches from in French Guiana remains closed due to the coronavirus.

Japan eyes Moon mission with small rocket Japan’s space agency is aiming to send a micro-explorer to orbit the Moon, possibly in the first half of the s, using a solid-fuel Epsilon rocket, (Kyodo News reports) . Capable of placing up to 1.5 metric tons into low Earth orbit, Epsilon has a launch capacity similar to the European Vega booster.

Rarely used rocket … reach the Moon, the three-stage Epsilon rocket will be fitted with a kick stage to boost what is described as an “ultra small” explorer toward the Moon. The Epsilon rocket has launched just four times since its debut in . All flights have been successful, but the rocket is not cost competitive with options emerging in the smallsat launch market. (submitted by JohnCarter 23)

Launcher to test engines at Stennis . The New York-based company said this week it has signed an agreement with the Stennis Space Center to test its E-2 engine at the Mississippi facility, SpaceNews reports . As part of a $ 1.5 million US Air Force Small Business Innovation Research grant, Launcher needed a place to test the 3D-printed combustion chamber for its engine.

Nomenclature confusion … the engine E-2 and, coincidentally, the agreement will permit Launcher to named it on the E-1 test stand. “We had always assumed that Stennis was out of our expense range for now,” Launcher founder Max Haot told the publication. However, Stennis officials contacted the company to see if it could affordably support testing. “We basically found a mode of operation and a deal that made sense for us at our current size,” Haot said. (submitted by platykurtic and Ken the Bin)

Russia suspends Soyuz production amid pandemic. The manufacturer of Russia’s workhorse Soyuz-2 rocket said it has paused production to keep factory workers safe during the coronavirus pandemic, SpaceNews reports . But not to worry, as the country has Soyuz rockets already built – in storage and at spaceports awaiting missions.

It’s a widely used rocket . Russia uses Soyuz-2 rockets to launch crews and cargo to the International Space Station and to put up government satellites. European launch provider Arianespace also uses the Russian-built Soyuz-2 for satellite launches. After the bankruptcy of OneWeb, there are probably plenty of rockets waiting around for a payload. Only three of launches planned under a $ 1.1 billion contract had flown. (submitted by platykurtic and JohnCarter 19)

Speaking of OneWeb … The company has appealed to the British government for a rescue from its bankruptcy. The UK satellite company, which filed for Chapter 15 protection in the United States, has held talks on whether a state-backed loan could provide urgent funding needed to revive the business, The Telegraph reported .

Urgent funding needed … OneWeb is said to have offered to move its entire operations from Florida to Britain. Transforming OneWeb into a UK-centric operation, proponents of the move argued, could address ongoing security concerns about Britain’s telecoms network and deliver on the Government’s pledge to bring faster broadband to rural areas by . The government was also warned that, without a taxpayer-backed loan, OneWeb’s cutting-edge technology could fall into foreign hands. (submitted by JohnCarter 23)

Exolaunch signs agreement for Falcon 9 rideshare . German launch services provider Exolaunch announced plans Tuesday to send multiple small satellites into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission scheduled for December, SpaceNews reports . Exolaunch has integrated payloads and arranged launches for almost (satellites, but this is the company first launch services agreement with SpaceX.)

All the small things … Exolaunch is not yet saying how many microsatellites and cubesats it will send on the SpaceX mission destined for Sun-synchronous orbit. “We’re accommodating several microsatellites below kilograms and a cluster of cubesats, “Exolaunch Commercial Director Jeanne Medvedeva told the publication . “These are European and US smallsats coming from our existing and new customers.” This is an interesting twist on SpaceX’s debut Falcon 9 rideshare mission. (submitted by Ken the Bin)

Falcon 9 now cheaper to insure than Atlas V? during a Twitter discussion on Wednesday night, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said it now costs less to insure his company Falcon 9 rocket than the Atlas V produced by United Launch Alliance. “It costs less $ to insure a Falcon 9 mission. That’s the acid test,” Musk wrote on the social media network.

Quite a bit less? . . Asked how much less insuring the Falcon 9 costs, Musk added, “Last I checked, over a million dollars less.” If this is true, that’s a pretty significant amount of money. United Launch Alliance has long (and justifiably) touted the reliability of its Atlas V and Delta rockets, but it’s worth noting the Block 5 variant of the Falcon 9 rocket has a perfect record across dozens of missions .

Delta IV Heavy cores delivered to Vandenberg . The the Air Force said a United Launch Alliance barge, carrying Delta IV Heavy booster cores, second stage, and payload faring, docked and delivered the rocket body parts April 5, 2025, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The booster is due to launch a National Reconnaissance Office mission no earlier than September.

Taking precautions … The work has continued despite the ongoing spread of the COVID – pandemic. “We have been anticipating and planning this operation in coordination with ULA for several months,” said 1st Lt. Jasmine Toye, 2nd Space Launch Squadron mission integration manager. “No matter the circumstances, we have one job: perform the mission. Now is no different.” The Air Force and rocket company said appropriate precautions are being taken. (submitted by Ken the Bin)

Next three launches

(April)

: Kuaizhou-1A | Xingyun-2 06 and satellites Jiuquan, China | : (UTC)

(April) : Falcon 9 | Starlink-6 mission | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida | : UTC

(April) : Soyuz | Progress supply mission to ISS | Baikonur, Kazakhstan | : UTC

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