Rocket Report SpaceXs Super Heavy is lit, Court strikes down Georgia spaceport

News Summary

  • The test featured a range of new components and lasted for 500 seconds, the full duration of a firing needed to get the Space Launch System rocket to orbit.Reuse no longer needed ... Four of these main engines will power the SLS rocket.
  • This is a huge milestone for SpaceX that potentially puts the company on track for an orbital test flight during the second half of March, or possibly early April.A great day for space ... As Ars reports, this is the most engines ignited on a rocket, ever.
  • United Launch Alliance's large Vulcan rocket, which has received dozens of launch orders from the US Department of Defense and Amazon for its Project Kuiper megaconstellation, is due to make its debut at some point this year.
  • While demand for small satellite launch is higher than ever, industry officials warned that price pressures and lack of access to capital could cause many companies to go out of business in the near future, Space News reports.
  • The space agency conducted its first hot fire test of the year of a modified RS-25 rocket engine on Wednesday at the Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
  • Virgin Orbit chief executive Dan Hart said it was still premature to formally declare the root cause of the failed flight of the company’s LauncherOne rocket last month from Spaceport Cornwall in England.
Enlarge/ NASA conducts an RS25 hot fire on the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi on Feb. 8, 20230 with 0 posters participatingWelcome to Edition 5.25 of the Rock [+10909 chars]