Welcome to the 7.01 edition of the Rocket Report! This week’s report is compiled one day later than usual due to the Independence Day holiday. This is Ars’ seventh year publishing this weekly roundup of rocket news, and despite it being a holiday in the U.S., there’s a lot of news this week. Worldwide, 122 launches flew into Earth orbit or higher in the first half of 2024, up from 91 during the same period last year.
As always, we Reader submissions welcomeand if you don’t want to miss an issue, subscribe using the box below (the form won’t appear in the AMP-enabled version of the site). Each report includes information on small, medium and large rockets, as well as a brief outlook for the next three launches on the calendar.
Firefly begins its fifth Alpha flight. Firefly Aerospace sent eight CubeSats into orbit on a NASA-funded mission on the first flight of its Alpha rocket since its upper stage failed more than six months ago. Space News ReportThe two-stage Alpha rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Command Center in California late Wednesday, two days after a ground equipment problem aborted the launch just before the engines were due to ignite. The eight CubeSats were sent by NASA centers and universities for a variety of education, research and technology demonstration missions. This was the fifth flight of the Firefly Alpha rocket, which can deliver about one tonne of payload into low Earth orbit.
Anomaly Resolution … This was the fifth flight of the Alpha rocket since 2021, and the fourth Alpha flight to reach orbit. However, the previous Alpha launch in December encountered problems during a re-ignition of the second-stage engine, preventing it from placing the Lockheed Martin payload into the proper orbit. During this week’s launch, Alpha deployed its NASA-sponsored payload after one second-stage burn, then successfully completed an engine restart for the vehicle change maneuver. Engineers traced the cause of the problem on the previous Alpha flight back to a software error. (Courtesy of Ken The Bin)
Two companies added to Department of Defense launch pool. Blue Origin and Stroke Space Technologies have both been approved by the U.S. Space Command for a future small payload launch competition, though neither has yet put the vehicle into orbit. Defense NewsBlue Origin and Stork Space have joined a roster of eligible launch companies competing for launch task orders the Space Force will bid on through its Orbital Services Program-4 (OSP-4) contract, which allows Space Systems Command to purchase launch services for payloads over 400 pounds (180 kilograms) and enable launch within 12 to 24 months of the task order award. The OSP-4 contract is “focused on small orbital launch capabilities and launch solutions that address tactically responsive space mission needs,” said Lt. Col. Steve Hendershot, director, Small Launch and Targets Division, Space Systems Command.
12 pieces … Blue Origin aims to launch its orbital-class New Glenn rocket for the first time as soon as late September, while Stork Space plans an orbital test flight of its Nova rocket next year. The addition of these two companies brings the number of providers eligible to bid on the OSP-4 task order to 12. The others are ABL Space Systems, Aevum, Astra, Firefly Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance and X-Bow. (Submitted by Ken Zabin and Brian Lurie)
An Italian startup conducts a test launch of a small rocket. Italian rocket manufacturer Sidereus Space Dynamics has completed the first integrated systems test of its EOS rocket. European Space Flight ReportThe test took place on Sunday and concluded with the rocket’s kerosene/liquid oxygen MR-5 main engine igniting for about 11 seconds. The EOS rocket is a novel design with a single-stage on-orbit architecture, with a reusable booster that returns to Earth from orbit and is recovered under a parafoil. The rocket stands less than 14 feet (4.2 meters) tall and can carry about 29 pounds (13 kilograms) of payload into low Earth orbit.
Lean operations …After completing ground integration tests, the company plans to conduct its first low-altitude EOS test flight. Founded in 2019, Sidereus has raised 6.6 million euros ($7.1 million) to fund the development of its EOS rocket. It’s a fraction of what other European launch startups like Isar Aerospace, MaiaSpace and Orbex have raised, but Sidereus CEO Mattia Barbarossa previously said the company intends to “reinvent spaceflight with a shoestring and limited resources.” (Posted by EllPeaTea and Ken the Bin)
