Rocket Report: NASA Dismantles Third SLS Supply Test, Pythom Space Responds

Welcome to Rocket Report 4.39! As usual, there’s a lot to discuss in the launch world this week, from a successful hot fire test in Spain to an unsuccessful fuel test at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. So without further delay, read on.

As usual we Readers’ offers are welcomeAnd if you don’t want to miss any issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small, medium and heavy missiles as well as a quick look at the next three launches in the calendar.

BythumSpace tests the Egger missile and receives a reaction. On March 19, the California-based small launch company conducted a stop test of the first stage of a single-engine Iger rocket. (The complete first stage will include nine small engines.) company Upload a video Contains this footage from about three weeks ago. The video runs for approximately 2 minutes and 40 seconds, and shows instances where Pythom employees seem to be dealing with the Egger missile and its highly drifting impulses with less care than industry standards. At one point in the company’s promotional video, a handful of employees can be seen running from an expanding cloud of dust and exhaust.

Reply to setbacks … the video went largely unnoticed until the source passed it on to Ars, We have reported it. The video prompted hundreds of responses, including some of the somewhat terrified rocket scientists. In response to this report, Pythom Space retracted with update which included other incidents of other launch companies. He then added, “Our message to the space community is simply this. Should we just allow billionaires and official flight engineers to lead our way into space? Or should we encourage all space enthusiasts to cheer on the sidelines so that they can also really start building themselves, step by step, Even if you’re not part of the traditional space?” Be sure to check out the photo.

PLD Space completes static fire test. On Wednesday the launch of the Spanish company Advertise on Twitter It has successfully completed the first static test firing of the Miura 1 launch vehicle. Raul Torres, CEO of the company, . added PLD Space was “almost ready” for the first test flight of its semi-orbital launch vehicle. It will happen from Teruel airport in eastern Spain, probably during the second half of this year.

from one to five … the Miura 1 missile is essentially a technical demonstration of the company, which was founded a decade ago. PLD Space intends to take what it learned from Miura 1 and develop the Miura 5 rocket, which will be able to put up to 300 kg into a sun-synchronous orbit. The company is among a handful of start-ups in Europe trying to launch a new space industry on the continent.

Consortium wins bid to build Indian missiles. As part of India’s efforts to develop a commercial space agency, in 2020 the Indian space agency, ISRO, offered private companies the opportunity to independently build a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. right Now, BusinessToday in ReportsHindustan Aeronautics Limited and the L&T consortium emerged as the lowest bidder to build five polar space launch vehicles for ISRO by the middle of this decade.

Satellite bus until next …the first specially built missile is expected to be completed sometime during the second half of 2024, with the remaining four missiles being delivered in 2025 and 2026. This is the first time in ISRO history that a complete missile has been launched, including In that’s a heat shield rocket, it’s manufactured outside the space agency. As a next step towards tapping into India’s emerging private space industry, ISRO is exploring the possibility of the industry building the India Mini Satellite-1 Bus.

Astra sells electric thrusters. Astra Space said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement to sell electric propulsion engines by LeoStella, as part of the company’s effort to bypass the launch, Space News Reports. Astra said it has sold its “multiple” Astra space engines to LeoStella, the Seattle-based small satellite manufacturer. The two companies did not disclose the value of the agreement or even the number of thrusters required, but Astra said those thrusters would be delivered later this year and run through 2023.

moving in space … Tod Byquist, LeoStella’s director of programs and supply chain, said in a statement that his company was looking at “innovative options” to provide propulsion for the satellites it manufactures. “The Astra spacecraft’s engine has a good legacy in flight and the performance we need to get our satellites into space on schedule,” he said. Astra acquired engine technology from Apollo Fusion, an electric propulsion start-up that Astra acquired in 2021. The thruster can use krypton or xenon fuels, and produces between 18 and 25 millinewtons of thrust at an input power of 400 watts. (Provided by Ken Ben)

Who starts a space company?. The Maine Senate enacted a proposal to create the Maine Space Foundation on Monday. Supporters of the idea said they envision the company as a central hub for innovation and economic development in the state’s aerospace industry, AP . Reports. Members of the aviation industry have taken interest in Maine in recent years, in part because it is home to the former Loring Air Force Base and Brunswick Landing.

switch to min Industry officials told the legislature that the state’s geography and existing infrastructure make it a candidate to serve as a site for small launches. The motion must be signed by Democratic Governor Janet Mills. The bill is likely to benefit BluShift Aerospace, which is headquartered in Maine. Previously it was a small launch company He said It will have to explore launch opportunities from the Kennedy Space Center after residents of Jonesport, Maine, voted overwhelmingly to impose a ban on any space activities in the city. (Provided by MR)