![SpaceX launches its 200th Falcon 9 consecutive successful mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base.](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/falcon-9-200-800x462.jpg)
SpaceX
Welcome to Edition 5.41 of the Rocket Report! Not for the primary time this 12 months, the following three launches on the worldwide calendar are all Falcon 9 missions. The cadence of that rocket’s ability to launch continues to astound me—as does its reliability record. Read more about that below.
As at all times, we welcome reader submissions, and should you don’t need to miss a difficulty, please subscribe using the box below (the shape won’t appear on AMP-enabled versions of the positioning). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets and a fast look ahead at the following three launches on the calendar.
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North Korean orbital launch fails. North Korea tried and did not launch a military spy satellite on Wednesday morning as a consequence of an issue with an upper-stage rocket engine, in keeping with DPRK state media, NK News reports. The country’s state news agency said North Korea would make one other attempt “throughout the shortest period possible.” The brand new “Chollima-1” rocket was attempting to launch a military reconnaissance satellite. Malligyong, the name of the spy satellite, means “telescope” in Korean, while Chollima is a mythical winged horse often utilized in North Korean propaganda.
… There was some confusion within the aftermath of the launch failure as to its cause. Officially, the North Korean space agency, which (I kid you not) is known as the National Aerospace Development Administration, or NADA, said there was an “abnormal” ignition of the second stage. “The reason behind the accident appears to be that the brand new engine system reliability and stability failed and that the fuel used was unstable,” NADA said. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
Vega C to launch Korean satellite. Arianespace announced Wednesday that it signed a launch contract for the Earth statement satellite Kompsat-6, which can fly into orbit on the European light launcher Vega C. Kompsat-6 might be launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana as early as December 2024. Kompsat-6 is the second Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging satellite developed by the Korean space agency, KARI.
… The Russian space corporation, Roscosmos, continues to lose business in consequence of the country’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. On this case, Kompsat-6 was presupposed to launch on an Angara rocket. Now, the small satellite will go to Europe’s predominant launch corporation, a pleasant little boost for the continent’s rocket industry. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
And one other for Vega. Swiss-based in-orbit servicing startup ClearSpace has contracted Arianespace to launch its first debris-removal mission to capture and deorbit a 100 kg piece of space debris, Spaceflight Now reports. Europe’s Vega C will launch the ClearSpace-1 servicer spacecraft to low-Earth orbit from French Guiana within the second half of 2026 as a secondary passenger to a bigger payload that has yet to be announced. The spacecraft might be injected right into a sun-synchronous orbit, from which it should rendezvous, capture, and deorbit a spent upper stage that was a part of the Vega launcher’s second flight in 2013.
… “The world is putting objects into space quicker than they’re being removed, and we urgently have to bring solutions to this fundamental problem,” said Luc Piguet, CEO and co-founder of ClearSpace. “We’re looking forward to this European collaboration and the potential for more difficult future missions with multiple captures per flight.” (submitted by Ken the Bin)
Minotaur 4 returns for more. Northrop Grumman won a $45.5 million contract to launch a small weather satellite in 2025, Space News reports. The corporate’s Minotaur 4 rocket will launch a payload called “Electro-Optical Infrared Weather System,” a prototype satellite that may reveal industrial weather imaging technologies for military use.
… The launch contract was a task order awarded by the US Space Force’s Orbital Services Program-4, a contracting vehicle for acquiring launch services for payloads over 180 kg. The solid-fueled rocket has launched seven times, all successfully, with its most up-to-date mission flying in 2020 with a payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
Latitude continues engine tests. After an initial round of tests last winter, French launch startup Latitude is pushing its Navier rocket engine to the boundaries in a brand new test campaign. “The goal is to collect as much data as possible on it. To make sure this, we conduct tests every two to 3 days with several consecutive tests,” said Olivier Lebrethon, chief technical officer of Latitude, in a news release.
… This primary version of the 3D-printed rocket engine will pave the way in which for a second iteration of Navier, nine of which can power the primary stage of the Latitude’s rocket, Zephyr. The primary launch of Zephyr is scheduled for the tip of 2024, possibly from SaxaVord in Scotland or Kourou in French Guiana.