![ULA's Vulcan rocket rolls to the launch pad on Thursday morning.](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/vulcan-to-pad-800x600.jpg)
United Launch Alliance
Welcome to Edition 5.37 of the Rocket Report! I’m completely happy to share some excellent news this week, with the Vulcan rocket rolling back to the launch site for a brand new round of tests, and India making progress on its next-generation engine. It’s great to see all the progress on this industry.
As at all times, we welcome reader submissions, and if you happen to don’t desire to miss a problem, please subscribe using the box below (the shape is not going to appear on AMP-enabled versions of the location). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets in addition to a fast look ahead at the following three launches on the calendar.
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Virgin Galactic burns through more cash. The space tourism company reported a net lack of $159 million in the primary quarter of 2023, in comparison with $93 million in the primary quarter of 2022. The corporate said it needed the additional spending because it prepares for its first industrial flight later this 12 months and invests heavily in its next-gen Delta spacecrafts, Payload reports. Virgin Galactic announced it’ll perform a final test flight in late May, sending two pilots and 4 Virgin Galactic employees to suborbital space.
… If all goes well, the corporate will start industrial flights in late June. It has been nearly two years since Virgin Galactic last flew humans above 80 km. With its latest financials, the corporate faces some very serious existential questions. Initially, it must get back to flying into space more continuously after which achieve this safely across many flights to begin generating revenue. After which it must reach bringing the Delta ships—that are purported to be able to flying a few times a month—into service by 2026. The corporate has $874 million readily available, so this shouldn’t be inconceivable—but it’ll be an actual challenge. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
Australia axes spaceport budget. The federal government has cut a plan to bankroll spaceports and rocket launch facilities in Australia as a part of funding cuts to the space industry, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. The Department of Industry, Science and Resources recouped $77 million in savings in Tuesday’s federal budget by cutting three programs that aimed to support Australian space technology, including $32.3 million slated to co-invest in spaceports and launch sites.
… The axing of the spaceport program specifically was bad news, said Malcolm Davis, a senior space policy analyst on the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. “If we’re going to have sovereign space capabilities, which was the goal, then we’d like somewhere to launch from,” he said. Australia’s existing spaceports include Arnhem Space Centre, a industrial facility within the Northern Territory. One other spaceport planned for Toowoomba in 2024, nevertheless, was thrown into doubt last month after satellite launch company Virgin Orbit went bankrupt. (submitted by Subwoofer2 and Ken the Bin)
Rating the UK launch corporations. The web site Orbital Today has published a rating of six launch corporations in the UK—Skyrora, Lockheed Martin, SmallSpark, Astraius, Newton Launch Systems, and Orbex. “This can be a method to keep tabs on what these corporations are doing, and the way they’re developing recent technologies and craft that can turn the UK right into a hotbed of space launch activity!” the list writer wrote excitedly. I will be honest, I actually have never heard of a few of these corporations. And the just one I feel fairly confident will ultimately reach orbit is Lockheed, which is partnering with ABL Space to launch the RS1 rocket from the SaxaVord. Each corporations are also based in america.
… Orbital Today puts Skyrora atop its list, which, to be honest, looks like a brave move to me. Orbex, by the best way, is at the underside as a consequence of the abrupt departure of CEO Chris Larmour. “No recent CEO has been installed as of the time of writing, so we expect the corporate to drag itself together slowly, if in any respect. The smoke-and-mirrors aspect of the Orbex PR output, versus the anorak-in-motion presentations of others, makes us wonder in regards to the company’s actual progress in the primary place,” the web site opines. Me too. (submitted by brianrhurley)
Construction begins on Scottish spaceport. Meanwhile, the launch company Orbex has begun construction at Sutherland Spaceport in Scotland with a ground-breaking ceremony on May 5, Spaceflight Now reports. This may be the primary vertical launch spaceport to be built on mainland United Kingdom. Positioned on the north coast of Scotland, the spaceport will grow to be the “home” spaceport of the Scottish-based business, which can use the location to launch as much as 12 rockets per 12 months for the deployment of satellites into low-Earth orbit.
… Orbex, with headquarters, production, and testing facilities in Scotland and design and testing facilities in Denmark, can be pushing ahead with the event of its Prime rocket, which it plans to launch for the primary time by the tip of the 12 months. (Don’t hold your breath.) The corporate has signed a 50-year sub-lease with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, enabling it to direct launch site construction and assume full operational management of the brand new facility on the community-owned Melness Crofters Estate. (submitted by JoeyS-IVB)