Rocket Lab

Virgin Orbit has set a deadline of May 14 for bids on its business, the bankrupt rocket-maker said in a court filing this week.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewThe company, which built an air-launched rocket designed to fly small satellites into orbit, was spun out of Richard Branson’s space tourism company Virgin Galactic. It went public through a SPAC transaction in late 2021, but many of investors pulled out of the deal at the last minute, leaving it with less capital than…

Reusability is the key to 21st century spaceflight, with many launch providers now working to make their rockets as recyclable as possible. California-based Rocket Lab is ready to take an important next step in this direction by fitting a previously flown 3D-printed engine onto its Electron rocket.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewTo date, some 350 Rutherford engines built by Rocket Lab have gone to space, yet nonehave returned for a second stint in low Earth orbit. That could…

“I definitely believe that a large part of it as a space enthusiast.” That’s what Matthew Brown told CNBC on March 23, when asked why he was considering a $200 million investment into Virgin Orbit, a nearly bankrupt rocket company.He Tossed His Bitcoin, Now He Wants It BackA week later, that deal collapsed, and Virgin Orbit, which had begun to bring employees back to work in expectation of new funding, is facing the end. The company has ceased operations and will lay off some 675 employees, CEO Dan Hart said in a meeting…

SpaceX’s partially reusable Falcon 9 is currently in a class by itself, but rival companies are hoping to end the rocket’s near-monopolistic hold on the spaceflight industry. One such company is Rocket Lab, with its chief financial officer now taking direct aim at the Elon Musk-owned firm.Speaking at a Bank of America event on March 21, Rocket Lab CFO Adam Spice said, “We are positioning Neutron to compete directly with the Falcon 9,” CNBC reported. The projected cost of flying with Neutron, a fully reusable medium-lift…

Screenshot: Relativity SpaceIn addition to passing Max-Q, the mission managed to complete main engine cut-off (MECO), stage separation, and the ignition of the lone second-stage Aeon vacuum engine. Roughly three minutes into the flight, however, the second stage engine appeared to sputter and then completely shut off, effectively ending the mission. The upper stage got no higher than around 81 miles (130 kilometers) above the surface and traveled no faster than about 4,600 miles per hour (7,400 km/hr), according to…

A rocket built primarily from 3D-printed parts could finally take flight today, with Relativity Space targeting a late evening launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida. You can catch the action live right here.Update: 9:47 p.m. ET: Relativity is now targeting a T-0time of 10:38 p.m. ET.Original article follows.For California-based Relativity Space, the number of the day is three.Three, as in 3D-printed rocket, and three, as in the third launch attempt of Terran 1. And should the 9.3-metric-ton rocket successfully reach…

The Indian Space Research Organization is preparing to launch 36 internet satellites for OneWeb, as the British company seeks to complete its first constellation and enable global-wide service. It’s one of several important launches planned for the coming week.OneWeb won’t be the only company launching internet satellites to orbit this week, with SpaceX also planning to add to its satellite fleet. Over in Russia, a classified payload appears set to go, in what is another busy week in spaceflight. As always, the dates and…

Venture-backed rocket makers recently spent an anxious weekend waiting on the outcome of Silicon Valley Bank’s failure, but their latest troubles have no connection tothe lender’s collapse.Astra Space (ASTR) is now fighting to remain listed on the NASDAQ because it can’t keep its stock price above $1, while Virgin Orbit (VORB) has sent workers home as it hunts for new funding or a new owner.At each company, the crux of the issue has more to do with the difficulty of launching objects into space than the difficulties of…

After a slight delay due to weather, Rocket Lab is ready to fire off the engines of its Electron rocket and send an Earth-imaging satellite to low Earth orbit.Update: March 16 at 4:45 p.m. ET: Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket is now scheduled to launch no earlier than 6:38 p.m. ET on Thursday. Original article follows.The “Stronger Together” mission is scheduled for liftoff no earlier than 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday during a two-hour launch window, the company announced on Twitter. Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket will launch from…

The Vulcan Certification One Booster, May 10, 2022. Photo: ULAAnother heavy-lift launch vehicle we’re excited about is the two-stage Vulcan Centaur being developed by United Launch Alliance. The fully expendable 202-foot-tall (62-meter) rocket, in development since 2014, is set to replace ULA’s Atlas V and Delta IV rockets, both of which have been in use for the past two decades. “The Vulcan Centaur Program was established by ULA to reduce cost, increase launch capability and provide the opportunity to partner with…