United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy rocket completes its final mission, Rocket Lab plans to reuse a previously flown Electron rocket first stage tank, Virgin Orbit's IP library is available for licensing at $3 million, Virgin Galactic countersues Boeing over a project to develop a new mothership aircraft, and Ursa Major signs a contract with the US Navy to develop and test solid fuel rocket engines.
SpaceX aims to launch the next Starship test flight in early May, potentially impacting small satellite launch providers. Rocket Lab successfully launched a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, marking its fourth launch from Wallops Island, Virginia. Astrobotic's Xodiac rocket completed its first night flight in preparation for upcoming NASA testing to simulate lunar surface landings.
This week's Rocket Report highlights a series of rocket failures, including a Japanese small-lift rocket exploding shortly after liftoff and a rare misstep for China's Long March rockets. However, SpaceX's Starship successfully completed its third test flight, marking a significant step toward becoming operational. Additionally, the massive Roc aircraft deployed the Talon-A vehicle for the first time, and Washington-based launch company Stoke Space tested the full-size version of its innovative engine for the in-development Nova rocket.
In the world of rocket launches, SpaceX signed an agreement with the Bahamian government for Falcon 9 booster landings, while Blue Origin raised a New Glenn rocket for ground testing and United Launch Alliance began assembling an Atlas V rocket for the first crew launch of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in April. Astroscale launched a satellite to inspect a defunct upper stage in space, Firefly Aerospace attributed a launch malfunction to a software error, and Australian startup Gilmour Space raised $36 million to support the development and launch of its Eris rocket.
Blue Origin erects a full-size simulator of its New Glenn rocket for fit checks and tests, signaling progress toward its inaugural flights; Russia launches a classified satellite, Kosmos 2575, with indications of a shared mission with another satellite, raising concerns about anti-satellite capabilities; The Exploration Company continues testing its methane-fueled Huracán engine for in-space and lunar transportation, positioning itself as a propulsion supplier to other space companies.
