Hello and welcome back to Max Q!
In this case:
- Starship success
- Rocket Lab’s electron transitions into a suborbital
- News from Orbit Fab and more
SpaceX launched a fully stacked Starship for the first time Thursday morning, with the vehicle passing through Max Q and flying for about three minutes. Let me be clear: this was a distinct The result of the first flight test, especially since this is the largest and most powerful rocket ever created by man. To focus on the launch’s conclusion — the rather startling explosion after the rocket’s upper stage fails to separate from the booster — is to miss the important success story of the Starship test program thus far.
The flight test likely yielded plenty of useful data to inform subsequent spacecraft tests—data the company will not be able to obtain through more ground testing. Sometimes you just need to fire the damn rocket.
Image credits: SpaceX
Rocket Lab is adding a new offering to its suite of services: hypersonic suborbital launches. The new service will be available starting sometime in the first half of this year, when the company will perform its first mission for a “secret agent” who has contracted to use the new suborbital rocket.
The Rocket Lab vehicle is derived from the successful Electron Orbital Launch Vehicle, but is getting a new name by way of the back-name “HASTE” (Hyperacoustic Suborbital Test Electron). The first of these rockets is already being prepared for launch at the US Rocket Laboratory launch facility in Wallops Island, Virginia.” — Daryl Etherington
Image credits: Rocket lab
More news from TC and beyond
- Astranis It closed $200 million in new funding as it prepares for its debut launch on the SpaceX Super Heavy this week. (bloomberg)
- Axiom Space launches a new program aimed at giving countries without a domestic space agency easier access to space. Favorite
- AWS She announced 14 startups that would participate in her space accelerator. (AWS)
- Lockheed Martin It successfully demonstrated rendezvous and proximity operations, technologies that could be put into service in orbit, earlier this year. (via satellite)
- Orbit Faba startup looking to build orbital refueling services, has closed a $28.5 million Series A. (TechCrunch)
- Rocket lab It plans to reuse the Rutherford engine, which powers the Electron rocket, for the first time in an upcoming launch. (rocket lab)
- space capital The latest Quarterly Investment Report highlights how private markets have continued to reset after skyrocketing valuations and cash flows in the past few years. (space capital)
- Space Forge, a UK-based startup focused on manufacturing in space, plans to expand its presence in the US with manufacturing facilities for its satellites. (Space Forge)
- SpaceX Reduced monthly Starlink customer service fee for customers in many European countries. (Starlink Insider)
- SpaceX’s“Fail Successful” highlights how Starship missions need to reset the timeline. (TechCrunch)
- Virgin Orbit It has every intention of getting off the ground again, despite filing for bankruptcy and laying off 85% of its staff. (Washington Post)
I brought you Max Q, The workers’ song. If you enjoyed reading Max Q, consider sending it to a friend.