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Lost tanks will delay final Vega launch. <\/b>Remember last week\u2019s report that Avio, the Italian rocket-maker, lost track of propellant tanks needed for the final launch of Europe\u2019s Vega rocket? Well, it looks like Avio and the European Space Agency have a plan to remedy the situation, but it\u2019s risky and will delay the Vega launch by several months, Space News reports. \u201cAvio has confirmed to ESA that there is an issue with tanks for the last Vega flight,\u201d said Toni Tolker-Nielsen, ESA director of space transportation, without addressing the earlier report that the tanks for Vega\u2019s upper stage were found in a landfill, crushed and unusable.<\/p>\n
Hard to believe<\/i> \u2026 It\u2019s baffling how a space company could lose track of such critical pieces of rocket hardware. Tolker-Nielsen said managers considered two remedies to move forward with the final launch of the Vega rocket. The most likely solution is to use larger tanks for the upgraded Vega C rocket, which is replacing the base model of the light-class Vega launch vehicle. \u201cIt would necessitate some structural modification of the inner structure of the AVUM (upper stage),\u201d Tolker-Nielsen said. \u201cIt seems a good, feasible solution.\u201d That approach would support a Vega launch in September 2024. The payload for this mission is the Sentinel 2C remote sensing satellite, part of Europe\u2019s Copernicus Earth-monitoring constellation. (submitted by Ken the Bin)<\/p>\n
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China\u2019s methane-fueled rocket flies again.<\/b> Chinese launch startup Landspace successfully sent satellites into orbit for the first time on December 8, Space News reports. This was the third flight of Landspace\u2019s Zhuque 2 rocket. Zhuque 2, also known as Vermillion Bird 2, failed to reach orbit on its first test flight, then became the first methane-fueled rocket to successfully achieve orbit on its second test flight in July. This launch of Zhuque 2 was the first to actually place working satellites into orbit. Onboard the rocket were three small satellites, including one from Spacety, a Chinese commercial satellite company sanctioned earlier this year by the US Treasury Department. The Zhuque 2 has the ability to put 1.5 metric tons of payload into a 500-kilometer orbit.<\/p>\n
Avian evolution<\/i> \u2026 Established in 2015, Landspace is one of the most advanced companies in China\u2019s ecosystem of launch startups. Its first launch in 2018 used a solid-fueled rocket called Zhuque 1, but it failed before entering orbit. Now, the Zhuque 2 has made history as the first methane-fueled orbital rocket, and stands with a record of two successful flights in three attempts. Landspace\u2019s next step will be the Zhuque 3 rocket, a larger stainless steel launcher in roughly the same class as SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9. The first stage of Landspace\u2019s next rocket will be reusable, and the company aims to launch it for the first time in 2025. (submitted by Egudahl, EllPeaTea, and Ken the Bin)<\/p>\n
Northrop Grumman test-fires new solid rocket motor. <\/b>A new solid rocket motor developed on a rapid timeline was recently test-fired by Northrop Grumman. This test is the first of an annual test series to demonstrate new technologies and materials for incorporation into the company\u2019s line of solid rocket motors, which are used by a range of rockets, including NASA\u2019s Space Launch System, United Launch Alliance\u2019s Vulcan, and the US military\u2019s next-generation Sentinel ICBM. This first Solid Motor Annual Rocket Technology Demonstrator, or SMART Demo, test-firing occurred at Northrop Grumman\u2019s facilities in Utah.<\/p>\n
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Moving faster and smarter<\/i> \u2026 According to Northrop Grumman, the SMART Demo successfully demonstrated several innovative technologies, alternate manufacturing materials and processes to reduce lead times by 75 percent. These include several advanced, long-lead tooling products as well as components of the solid rocket motor\u2019s nozzle structure, constructed with additive manufacturing techniques. Other items tested on the solid rocket motor were a new solid propellant capable of operating at cold temperatures, and components from alternative suppliers that could address concerns stemming from supply chain problems. (submitted by Ken the Bin)<\/p>\n\n