{"id":44183,"date":"2025-06-13T23:18:36","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T15:18:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/rocket-report-new-delay-for-europes-reusable-rocket-spacex-moves-in-at-slc-37\/"},"modified":"2025-06-13T23:18:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T15:18:36","slug":"rocket-report-new-delay-for-europes-reusable-rocket-spacex-moves-in-at-slc-37","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/rocket-report-new-delay-for-europes-reusable-rocket-spacex-moves-in-at-slc-37\/","title":{"rendered":"Rocket Report: New delay for Europe\u2019s reusable rocket; SpaceX moves in at SLC-37"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Edition 7.48 of the Rocket Report! The shock of last week\u2019s public spat between President Donald Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has worn off, and Musk expressed regret for some of his comments going after Trump on social media. Musk also backtracked from his threat to begin decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft, currently the only way for the US government to send people to the International Space Station. Nevertheless, there are many people who think Musk\u2019s attachment to Trump could end up putting the US space program at risk, and I\u2019m not convinced that danger has passed.<\/p>\n

As always, we welcome reader submissions. If you don\u2019t want to miss an 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-lift rockets, as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Quebec invests in small launch company. <\/b>The government of Quebec will invest CA$10 million ($7.3 million) into a Montreal-area company that is developing a system to launch small satellites into space, The Canadian Press reports. Quebec Premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault announced the investment into Reaction Dynamics at the company\u2019s facility in Longueuil, a Montreal suburb. The province\u2019s economy minister, Christine Fr\u00e9chette, said the investment will allow the company to begin launching microsatellites into orbit from Canada as early as 2027.<\/p>\n

Joining its peers <\/i>\u2026 Canada is the only G7 nation without a domestic satellite launch capability, whether it\u2019s through an independent national or commercial program or through membership in the European Space Agency, which funds its own rockets. The Canadian Space Agency has long eschewed any significant spending on developing a Canadian satellite launcher, and a handful of commercial launch startups in Canada haven\u2019t gotten very far. Reaction Dynamics was founded in 2017 by Bachar Elzein, formerly a researcher in multiphase and reactive flows at \u00c9cole Polytechnique de Montr\u00e9al, where he specialized in propulsion and combustion dynamics. Reaction Dynamic plans to launch its first suborbital rocket later this year, before attempting an orbital flight with its Aurora rocket as soon as 2027. (submitted by Joey S-IVB)<\/p>\n

,<\/p>\n

\n <\/path><\/clipPath><\/path><\/clipPath><\/defs><\/path><\/path><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/svg>
\n The Ars Technica Rocket Report
\n <\/h5>\n

The easiest way to keep up with Eric Berger\u2019s and Stephen Clark\u2019s reporting on all things space is to sign up for our newsletter. We\u2019ll collect their stories and deliver them straight to your inbox.
\n Sign Me
\n Up!<\/p>\n

Another year, another delay for Themis. <\/b>The European Space Agency\u2019s Themis program has suffered another setback, with the inaugural flight of its reusable booster demonstrator now all but certain to slip to 2026, European Spaceflight reports. It has been nearly six years since the European Space Agency kicked off the Themis program to develop and mature key technologies for future reusable rocket stages. Themis is analogous to SpaceX\u2019s Grasshopper reusable rocket prototype tested more than a decade ago, with progressively higher hop tests to demonstrate vertical takeoff and vertical landing techniques. When the program started, an initial hop test of the first Themis demonstrator was expected to take place in 2022.<\/p>\n

Tethered to terra firma <\/em>\u2026 ArianeGroup, which manufactures Europe\u2019s Ariane rockets, is leading the Themis program under contract to ESA, which recently committed an additional 230 million euros ($266 million) to the effort. This money is slated to go toward the development of a single-engine variant of the Themis program, continued development of the rocket\u2019s methane-fueled engine, and upgrades to a test stand at ArianeGroup\u2019s propulsion facility in Vernon, France. Two months ago, an official update on the Themis program suggested the first Themis launch campaign would begin before the end of the year. Citing sources close to the program, European Spaceflight reports the first Themis integration tests at the Esrange Space Center in Sweden are now almost certain to slip from late 2025 to 2026.<\/p>\n

French startup tests a novel rocket engine. <\/b>While Europe\u2019s large government-backed rocket initiatives face delays, the continent\u2019s space industry startups are moving forward on their own. One of these companies, a French startup named Alpha Impulsion, recently completed a short test-firing of an autophage rocket engine, European Spaceflight reports. These aren\u2019t your normal rocket engines that burn conventional kerosene, methane, or hydrogen fuel. An autophage engine literally consumes itself as it burns, using heat from the combustion process to melt its plastic fuselage and feed the molten plastic into the combustion chamber in a controlled manner. Alpha Impulsion called the May 27 ground firing a successful test of the \u201clargest autophage rocket engine in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

,<\/p>\n

So, why hasn\u2019t this been done before? <\/em>\u2026 The concept of a self-consuming rocket engine sounds like an idea that\u2019s so crazy it just might work. But the idea remained conceptual from when it was first patented in 1938 until an autophage engine was fired in a controlled manner for the first time in 2018. The autophage design offers several advantages, including its relative simplicity compared to the complex plumbing of liquid and hybrid rockets. But there are serious challenges associated with autophage engines, including how to feed molten fuel into the combustion chamber and how to scale it up to be large enough to fly on a viable rocket. (submitted by trimeta and EllPeaTea)<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Rocket trouble delays launch of private crew mission. <\/b>A propellant leak in a Falcon 9 booster delayed the launch of a fourth Axiom Space private astronaut mission to the International Space Station this week, Space News reports. SpaceX announced the delay Tuesday, saying it needed more time to fix a liquid oxygen leak found in the Falcon 9 booster during inspections following a static-fire test Sunday. \u201cOnce complete\u2013and pending Range availability\u2013we will share a new launch date,\u201d the company stated. The Ax-4 mission will ferry four commercial astronauts, led by retired NASA commander Peggy Whitson, aboard a Dragon spacecraft to the ISS for an approximately 14-day stay. Whitson will be joined by crewmates from India, Poland, and Hungary.<\/p>\n

Another problem, too <\/i>\u2026 While SpaceX engineers worked on resolving the propellant leak on the ground, a leak of another kind in orbit forced officials to order a longer delay to the Ax-4 mission. In a statement Thursday, NASA said it is working with the Russian space agency to understand a \u201cnew pressure signature\u201d in the space station\u2019s Russian service module. For several years, ground teams have monitored a slow air leak in the aft part of the service module, and NASA officials have identified it as a safety risk. NASA\u2019s statement on the matter was vague, only saying that cosmonauts on the station recently inspected the module\u2019s interior surfaces and sealed additional \u201careas of interest.\u201d The segment is now holding pressure, according to NASA. (submitted by EllPeaTea)<\/p>\n

,<\/p>\n

SpaceX tries something new with Falcon 9. <\/b>With nearly 500 launches under its belt, SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket isn\u2019t often up to new tricks. But the company tried something new following a launch on June 7 with a radio broadcasting satellite for SiriusXM. The Falcon 9\u2019s upper stage placed the SXM-10 satellite into an elongated, high-altitude transfer orbit, as is typical for payloads destined to operate in geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the equator. When a rocket releases a satellite in this type of high-energy orbit, the upper stage has usually burned almost all of its propellant, leaving little fuel to steer itself back into Earth\u2019s atmosphere for a destructive reentry. This means these upper stages often remain in space for decades, becoming a piece of space junk that transits across the orbits of many other satellites.<\/p>\n

Now, a solution <\/em>\u2026 SpaceX usually deorbits rockets after they deploy payloads like Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, but deorbiting a rocket from a much higher geosynchronous transfer orbit is a different matter. \u201cLast week, SpaceX successfully completed a controlled deorbit of the SiriusXM-10 upper stage after GTO payload deployment,\u201d wrote Jon Edwards, SpaceX\u2019s vice president of Falcon and Dragon programs. \u201cWhile we routinely do controlled deorbits for LEO stages (e.g., Starlink), deorbiting from GTO is extremely difficult due to the high energy needed to alter the orbit, making this a rare and remarkable first for us. This was only made possible due to the hard work and brilliance of the Falcon GNC (guidance, navigation, and control) team and exemplifies SpaceX\u2019s commitment to leading in both space exploration and public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

New Glenn gets a tentative launch date. <\/b>Five months have passed since Blue Origin\u2019s New Glenn rocket made its mostly successful debut in January. At one point, the company targeted \u201clate spring\u201d for the second launch of the rocket. However, on Monday, Blue Origin\u2019s CEO, Dave Limp, acknowledged on social media that the rocket\u2019s next flight will now no longer take place until at least August 15, Ars reports. Although he did not say so, this may well be the only other New Glenn launch this year. The mission, with an undesignated payload, will be named \u201cNever Tell Me the Odds,\u201d due to the attempt to land the booster. \u201cOne of our key mission objectives will be to land and recover the booster,\u201d Limp wrote. \u201cThis will take a little bit of luck and a lot of excellent execution. We\u2019re on track to produce eight GS2s [second stages] this year, and the one we\u2019ll fly on this second mission was hot-fired in April.\u201d<\/p>\n

,<\/p>\n

Falling short<\/em> \u2026 <\/i>Before 2025 began, Limp set expectations alongside Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos: New Glenn would launch eight times this year. That\u2019s not going to happen. It\u2019s common for launch companies to take a while ramping up the flight rate for a new rocket, but Bezos told Ars in January that his priority for Blue Origin this year was to hit a higher cadence with New Glenn. Elon Musk\u2019s rift with President Donald Trump could open a pathway for Blue Origin to capture more government business if the New Glenn rocket is able to establish a reliable track record. Meanwhile, Limp told Blue Origin employees last month that Jarrett Jones, the manager running the New Glenn program, is taking a sabbatical. Although it appears Jones\u2019 leave may have been planned, the timing is curious.<\/p>\n

Making way for Starship at Cape Canaveral. <\/b>The US Air Force is moving closer to authorizing SpaceX to move into one of the largest launch pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with plans to use the facility for up to 76 launches of the company\u2019s Starship rocket each year, Ars reports. A draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) released by the Department of the Air Force, which includes the Space Force, found SpaceX\u2019s planned use of Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral would have no significant negative impacts on local environmental, historical, social, and cultural interests. The Air Force also found SpaceX\u2019s plans at SLC-37 will have no significant impact on the company\u2019s competitors in the launch industry.<\/p>\n

Bringing the rumble \u2026 <\/i>SLC-37 was the previous home to United Launch Alliance\u2019s Delta IV rocket, which last flew from the site in April 2024, a couple of months after the military announced SpaceX was interested in using the launch pad. While it doesn\u2019t have a lease for full use of the launch site, SpaceX has secured a \u201cright of limited entry\u201d from the Space Force to begin preparatory work. This included the explosive demolition of the launch pad\u2019s Delta IV-era service towers and lightning masts Thursday, clearing the way for eventual construction of two Starship launch towers inside the perimeter of SLC-37. The new Starship launch towers at SLC-37 will join other properties in SpaceX\u2019s Starship empire, including nearby Launch Complex 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center, and SpaceX\u2019s privately owned facility at Starbase, Texas.<\/p>\n

,<\/p>\n

Preps continue for Starship Flight 10. <\/b>Meanwhile, at Starbase, SpaceX is moving forward with preparations for the next Starship test flight, which could happen as soon as next month following three consecutive flights that fell short of expectations. This next launch will be the 10th full-scale test flight of Starship. Last Friday, June 6, SpaceX test-fired the massive Super Heavy booster designated to launch on Flight 10. All 33 of its Raptor engines ignited on the launch pad in South Texas. This is a new Super Heavy booster. On Flight 9 last month, SpaceX flew a reused Super Heavy booster that launched and was recovered on a flight in January.<\/p>\n

FAA signs off on SpaceX investigation \u2026 <\/i>The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday it has closed the investigation into Starship Flight 8 in March, which spun out of control minutes after liftoff, showering debris along a corridor of ocean near the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. \u201cThe FAA oversaw and accepted the findings of the SpaceX-led investigation,\u201d an agency spokesperson said. \u201cThe final mishap report cites the probable root cause for the loss of the Starship vehicle as a hardware failure in one of the Raptor engines that resulted in inadvertent propellant mixing and ignition. SpaceX identified eight corrective actions to prevent a reoccurrence of the event.\u201d SpaceX implemented the corrective actions prior to Flight 9 last month, when Starship progressed further into its mission before starting to tumble in space. It eventually reentered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. The FAA has mandated a fresh investigation into Flight 9, and that inquiry remains open.<\/p>\n

Next three launches<\/h2>\n

June 13: <\/strong>Falcon 9 | Starlink 12-26 | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida | 15:21 UTC<\/p>\n

June 14: <\/b>Long March 2D | Unknown Payload | Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China | 07:55 UTC<\/p>\n

June 16:<\/strong> Atlas V | Project Kuiper KA-02| Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida | 17:25 UTC<\/p>\n

,<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Edition 7.48 of the Rocket Report! The shock of last week\u2019s public spat between President Donald Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has worn off, and Musk expressed regret for some of his comments going after Trump on social media. Musk also backtracked from his threat to begin decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft, currently […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44184,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[509,831,479,25,190,510,9476,316,317,750],"class_list":["post-44183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-blue-origin","tag-european-space-agency","tag-falcon-9","tag-launch","tag-nasa","tag-new-glenn","tag-rocket-report","tag-spacex","tag-starship","tag-united-launch-alliance"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44183"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}