Update: March 17 at 9:27 a.m. ET: Electron took flight at 6:38 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 16 and successfully delivered two Capella Space satellites to low Earth orbit.
Humans have been launching rockets to space for nearly 80 years, yet it feels as though we’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg in terms of what’s possible. These upcoming rockets provide a promising glimpse of what we can expect during the next era of spaceflight.
The coming week is poised to be an exciting one for rocket lovers, with no less than seven launches planned in the next seven days. It’s also the week when when finally get to see what NASA’s Artemis Moon suits will look like.
In 1962, John Glenn became the first U.S. citizen to orbit the Earth, riding into space on board the Friendship 7 capsule, which took off from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 14. More than 60 years later, that same old launchpad will be put to new use after being assigned to a private space venture to launch its…
In a disappointing turn of events, Rocket Lab is reconsidering its daredevil method of trying to catch and recover its Electron boosters mid-air using a helicopter.
Last summer, Astra’s Rocket 3.3 came crashing down after failing to reach orbit and deliver a pair of shoe-box sized satellites. Following a six-month investigation, the California-based startup identified the culprit: fuel injector blockage that resulted in combustion chamber burn-through.
Rocket Lab is riding the wave from last year’s success, gearing up for rapid back-to-back launches from sites in New Zealand and the United States. One of the planned launches will initiate a new partnership with U.S. space tech company Capella Space.
After securing a launch license, Relativity Space is eager to see its Terran 1 rocket get off the ground. The California-based company opted to skip a final engine test and set a launch date for the inaugural flight of its groundbreaking 3D-printed rocket.
A new era of rocket launches from NASA’s facility on Wallops Island in Virginia began tonight with the much-anticipated launch of Rocket Lab’s Electron small-lift launch vehicle.