![Solid rocket motors are stacked on the California Science Center for an eventual vertical display of space shuttle <em>Endeavour</em>. “><figcaption class=](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Each-SRMs-side-by-side-in-the-Shuttle-Gallery_0-800x450.jpg)
Welcome to Edition 6.22 of the Rocket Report! We’re nearing the top of 2023, and it has been an incredible 12 months for rocket debuts. Early within the 12 months we saw small lift vehicles from Relativity Space and ABL, and within the spring Japan’s H3 and SpaceX’s Starship rocket. There’s one big one left: United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan booster. That can be a pleasant stocking stuffer to finish the 12 months on Christmas Eve.
As all the time, we welcome reader submissions, and for those who don’t need to miss a difficulty, 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 subsequent three launches on the calendar.
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Vega has a missing parts problem. In unhappy news for Italian rocket-maker Avio, two of the 4 propellant tanks on the fourth stage of the Vega rocket—the upper stage, which is powered by dimethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide fuel—went missing earlier this 12 months. Now, it appears that evidently the propellant tanks have been found. Nevertheless, Ars reports, the tanks were recovered in a dismal state, crushed alongside metal scraps in a landfill. This can be a slightly big problem for Avio, as this was to be the ultimate Vega rocket launched, and the production lines are actually closed for this hardware.
… This Vega rocket is as a result of launch the 1,250-kg BIOMASS satellite for the European Space Agency, a mission that can employ a P-band synthetic aperture radar to evaluate the health of forests on Earth and determine how they’re changing. The satellite is valued at greater than $200 million. Officials are working on two options. The primary involves using old propellant tanks that were built for qualification tests of the Avio rocket greater than a decade ago. An alternative choice is to change the upper stage that’s utilized by the brand new Vega C rocket. While there are some commonalities between the Vega and Vega C upper stages, there are differences, and the brand new AVUM+ upper stage was not intended to fly on the unique Vega rocket. (submitted by Ken the Bin and EllPeaTea)
Stratolaunch progressing toward Talon A launches. On Sunday, Stratolaunch accomplished the primary captive carry flight of a powered Talon A hypersonic vehicle under the wing of its larger carrier aircraft, Roc. Stratolaunch is working for the US military on a goal that can mimic hypersonic threats to support the event of recent defensive capabilities, which is anticipated to be a Talon-A derivative or no less than utilize a number of the same technology, The Drive reports.
… This was the twelfth flight for the Roc launch platform, and it saw the Talon-A fueled. The flight lasted three hours and 22 minutes. It was, in keeping with Stratolaunch, “a major step forward in the corporate’s near-term goal of completing a powered flight with the Talon-A vehicle.” Talon-A is anticipated to give you the chance to succeed in speeds of no less than Mach 6. The vehicle is 28 feet long and has a wingspan of just over 11 feet. A powered launch could also be up next, pending an information review. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
South Korea tests solid-fuel rocket. South Korea on Monday successfully conducted a flight of a solid-fuel rocket carrying a satellite over the ocean near Jeju Island amid a growing space race with neighboring North Korea, the defense ministry said. It was the third successful test of the rocket’s technology after two others in March and December 2022, Reuters reports.
… Hanwha Systems said the satellite, which can be used for civilian purposes, including environmental monitoring, had successfully sent signals to the bottom control center. The ministry hailed the launch as achieving a milestone just after Pyongyang launched its first military spy satellite, which the US and its allies have condemned for using missile technology contravening a UN security resolution. South Korea’s successful launch will enable the country to speed up its surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, the ministry said. (submitted by wesley96, Ken the Bin, and tsunam)