Rocket Report: Starliner launch preps; Indian rocket engine human-rated

Welcome to Edition 6.32 of the Rocket Report! I'm writing the report again this week as Eric Berger is in Washington, DC, to receive a well-earned honor, the 2024 Excellence in Commercial Space Journalism Award from the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Cape Canaveral is the world's busiest spaceport, and this week, three leading US launch companies were active there. SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 rocket, and a few miles away, Blue Origin raised a New Glenn rocket on its launch pad for long-awaited ground testing. Nearby, United Launch Alliance began assembling an Atlas V rocket for the first crew launch of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in April. 2024 is shaping up to be a truly exciting year for the spaceflight community.

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets, as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Astroscale inspector satellite launched by Rocket Lab. Astroscale, a well-capitalized Japanese startup, has launched a small satellite to do something that has never been done in space, Ars reports. This new spacecraft, delivered into orbit on February 18 by Rocket Lab, will approach a defunct upper stage from a Japanese H-IIA rocket that has been circling Earth for more than 15 years. Over the next few months, the satellite will try to move within arm's reach of the rocket, taking pictures and performing complicated maneuvers to move around the bus-size H-IIA upper stage as it moves around the planet at nearly 5 miles per second (7.6 km/s).

This is a first ... Astroscale's ADRAS-J mission is the first satellite designed to approach and inspect a piece of space junk in orbit. This is a public-private partnership between Astroscale and the Japanese space agency. Of course, space agencies and commercial companies have demonstrated rendezvous operations in orbit for decades. The difference here is the H-IIA rocket is uncontrolled, likely spinning and in a slow tumble, and was never designed to accommodate any visitors. Japan left it in orbit in January 2009 following the launch of a climate-monitoring satellite and didn't look back. ADRAS-J is a technology demonstration that could pave the way for a follow-on mission to actually link up with this H-IIA rocket and remove it from orbit. Astroscale eventually wants to use these technologies for satellite servicing, refueling, and further debris removal missions. (submitted by Ken the Bin and Jay500001)

Software error blamed for Firefly launch malfunction. Firefly Aerospace released an update Tuesday on an investigation into an upper-stage malfunction on the company's Alpha rocket in December. The investigation team, consisting of membership from Firefly, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, Lockheed Martin, NASA, and the US Space Force, determined a software error in the rocket's guidance, navigation, and control software algorithm ultimately caused the Alpha rocket to release its payload into a lower-than-planned orbit following a launch from California.

Upper stage woes... The software error prevented the rocket from sending the "necessary pulse commands" to control thrusters on the upper stage before its main engine was supposed to reignite. This second burn by the upper stage was supposed to circularize the rocket's orbit, but it didn't happen as planned. Still, the Alpha rocket safely released its commercial satellite payload for Lockheed Martin. Although the lower orbit caused the satellite to reenter the atmosphere earlier this month, Lockheed Martin said it was able to achieve many of the objectives of the technology demonstration mission, which focused on testing an electronically steered antenna. This was the fourth launch of an Alpha rocket, and two of them have suffered from upper-stage malfunctions during engine restart attempts. Firefly says it is preparing the next Alpha rocket to fly "in the coming months." (submitted by Ken the Bin)

A good fundraising round for Gilmour Space. Australian startup Gilmour Space Technologies has raised AU$55 million ($36 million) in a Series D funding round announced Monday, Space News reports. The funding supports the small launch vehicle startup’s campaign to manufacture, test, and begin launching rockets and satellites from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in North Queensland. Gilmour Space, founded in 2012, is developing a three-stage rocket called Eris. The first Eris test flight is expected “in the coming months, pending launch approvals from the Australian Space Agency,” according to the Gilmour Space news release.

Launching from Down Under... Gilmour Space is aiming to launch the first Australian-built rocket into orbit later this year. The Eris rocket is powered by hybrid engines, and Gilmour says it is capable of delivering about 670 pounds (305 kilograms) of payload mass into a Sun-synchronous orbit. The $36 million fundraising round announced this week follows a $46 million fundraising round in 2021. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Gilmour Space is aiming for the first flight of Eris in April, and this latest fundraising should give the company enough money to mount four test flights. (submitted by Ken the Bin)

Japan's H3 rocket reaches orbit. Japan's new H3 rocket took off February 16 on its second test flight, Ars reports. Its success is an important milestone for the launch vehicle poised to power nearly all of the Japanese space program's missions into orbit over the next decade. The H3 rocket reached an on-target orbit, released two small satellites, and then deorbited its upper stage, demonstrating good performance by the rocket's core stage, strap-on solid rocket boosters, and two burns by the second stage engine. The successful test flight follows a failed mission in March 2023, when the H3 and a Japanese Earth observation satellite crashed into the sea due to an electrical glitch on the upper stage.

Will H3 catch on anywhere else? ... The success of H3 means Japan won't face a gap in independent launch capability like the one experienced by the European Space Agency. The H3 is an expendable, heavier, but less expensive replacement for Japan's H-IIA and H-IIB rockets. The H-IIB is retired, and there are two H-IIA rockets left to fly before the H3 fully takes over responsibility for launching Japanese military satellites, science missions, and resupply spacecraft heading for the International Space Station. Officials from the Japanese space agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries want the H3 to compete for commercial launch contracts on the global marketplace, but so far, commercial uptake for the H3 lags far behind SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, United Launch Alliance's Vulcan, Europe's Ariane 6, and Blue Origin's New Glenn. (submitted by Ken the Bin and tsunam)

Atlas V assembly begins for Starliner launch. United Launch Alliance's ground team at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station kicked off the stacking of an Atlas V rocket Wednesday for the first launch of astronauts on Boeing's Starliner crew capsule. Starliner's oft-delayed Crew Flight Test is currently scheduled for launch in mid-April, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station for a mission lasting up to two weeks. Cranes raised the first stage of the Atlas V vertically on its mobile launch platform Wednesday. That will be followed by the attachment of two solid rocket boosters and the Centaur upper stage. In early April, the Starliner spacecraft will be installed on top of the Atlas V. Boeing says a successful test in January of a redesign in Starliner's parachute system helped clear the way for the Crew Flight Test.

100th Atlas V ... After two unpiloted test flights of Starliner, Boeing appears to finally be ready to put astronauts on the spacecraft. This will be the first human launch on an Atlas V rocket and the 100th flight of an Atlas V overall. ULA plans to retire the Atlas V in the coming years, with the Vulcan rocket coming online as a replacement. But the Atlas V isn't going away immediately. There are 17 Atlas V rockets left to fly, and seven of those are assigned to Starliner missions to rotate crews on the International Space Station.

First flight-ready Ariane 6 rocket arrives in Kourou. The cargo ship Canopée has completed a 10-day transatlantic voyage to deliver the core and second stages of the first Ariane 6 rocket to its launch site in French Guiana, European Spaceflight reports. The cargo ship picked up the core stage and second stage from ports located near ArianeGroup factories in France and Germany, respectively. Hardware for the Ariane 6's payload fairing and solid rocket boosters are already at the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.

Road to the launch pad ... Operations to commence integration of the various components of the first Ariane 6 launch vehicle will now begin in full swing. This process is expected to proceed into April. The rocket will then be transported to the launch pad to complete final preparations for launch. During this period, the final qualification review will be concluded, which will certify that Ariane 6 is fit for flight. If all goes well, the maiden Ariane 6 flight will occur in the second half of June. A test model of the Ariane 6 rocket used for hotfire testing last year is now being disassembled from the launch pad, making room for the flight vehicle's arrival. (submitted by Ken the Bin and EllPeaTea)

Human-rating milestone for Indian rocket. The Indian Space Research Organization has announced it has completed human-rating of a critical component of the LVM3 rocket that Indian astronauts will ride into orbit on the nation's Gaganyaan program. ISRO completed a final round of ground qualification tests for the CE20 cryogenic upper-stage engine on February 13, with the seventh in a series of vacuum ignition tests at a high-altitude test facility to simulate flight conditions. The hydrogen-fueled CE20 engine will be responsible for the insertion into low-Earth orbit of the Gaganyaan spacecraft with astronauts aboard.

Long path to get here … In order to qualify the CE20 engine for human-rating standards, four engines have undergone 39 hotfiring tests under different operating conditions for a cumulative duration of 8,810 seconds against the minimum human-rating qualification standard requirement of 6,350 seconds, according to ISRO. Also, the actual flight engine assigned to the first unpiloted Gaganyaan orbital test flight later this year has completed acceptance testing, verifying it meets stringent design specifications. Indian officials are targeting 2025 for the first crew test flight of Gaganyaan. (submitted by Ken the Bin)

The Bahamas, a destination for space enthusiasts? The Bahamas' Ministry of Tourism has signed a "letter of agreement" with SpaceX in a step toward enabling landings of Falcon 9 boosters on a drone ship within Bahamian territorial waters, rather than the current landing location in international waters. According to a statement from the Bahamian government, SpaceX is finalizing mission designs where one of the company's drone ships will be positioned for Falcon 9 booster landings at a new location among the Bahamian islands east of the Exumas. The agreement "positions the Bahamas as a global destination for witnessing booster landings," the country's tourism ministry said.

This is pretty cool … The tourism ministry said these booster landings closer to the Bahamas could be visible from cruise ships, resorts, and other tourist hotspots. "The exclusive visibility of rocket landings on an autonomous drone ship from various Bahamian islands distinguishes this destination as the only one of its kind worldwide." I've seen dozens of Falcon 9 booster landings at Cape Canaveral, and last year observed the nighttime descent of a Falcon 9 booster from a cruise ship sailing near the Bahamas. Seeing one of these landings in person is always breathtaking, but it was striking to watch a booster reentry from an entirely different perspective offshore. If more people get to see it, that's a good thing. (submitted by Ken the Bin and EllPeaTea)

Blue Origin is the leading contender to buy ULA. Blue Origin, the rocket company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has emerged as the sole finalist to buy United Launch Alliance, Ars reports. The sale is not official, and nothing has been formally announced. The co-owners of United Launch Alliance, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, have yet to comment publicly on the sale of the company, which, until the rise of SpaceX, was the sole major launch provider in the United States. They declined again on Wednesday. However, two sources told Ars that Blue Origin is nearing the purchase of ULA. The sources said they have not personally seen any signed agreements, but they expect the sale to be announced within a month or two.

Why would Blue buy ULA? … There is considerable overlap in the launch businesses of ULA and Blue Origin. Vulcan and Blue Origin's own large rocket, New Glenn, will both compete for government launch contracts, and both use the BE-4 rocket engines developed by Blue Origin. However, some synergies could make a combined Blue Origin-ULA a more formidable launch competitor to SpaceX. ULA has operational launch pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It has large integration facilities at both locations. Additionally, it has an experienced launch team with a long track record of success, which could be useful to Blue Origin as it seeks to launch the New Glenn rocket later this year. Finally, ULA has some expertise in the storage of cryogenic fuels in space.

New Glenn on the launch pad. On Wednesday, engineers rolled a full-scale New Glenn rocket, partially made up of flight hardware, to a launch pad in Florida for ground testing, Ars reports. This is a big milestone for Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos's space company, which has delayed the debut of New Glenn for several years. In the coming weeks, Blue Origin will run the rocket and ground systems through cryogenic loading and pressure testing. This 320-foot-tall (98-meter) rocket is one of the largest ever to appear on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, matching the height of NASA's Space Launch System and nearly as tall as NASA's Saturn V rocket from the Apollo era.

Trying times ahead … While this is a big sign of progress for Blue Origin, there's a lot of work left before the rocket is ready for launch. For one thing, the New Glenn currently on the pad is composed of a flight-capable booster, but its upper stage was built purely for ground testing. This first round of testing will only involve loading the first stage with inert liquid nitrogen while filling the rocket with its actual propellants, liquid methane, liquid hydrogen, and liquid oxygen, will not occur until summer. Blue Origin still says it plans to launch the first New Glenn rocket by the end of the year. (submitted by Ken the Bin)

Count 'em, nine Starships. As SpaceX nears its first Starship launch of 2024—possibly as soon as within three weeks—from its Starbase facility in South Texas, the company is pressing regulators to increase its cadence of flights, Ars reports. During a press availability this week, the administrator for Commercial Space Transportation at the Federal Aviation Administration, Kelvin Coleman, said the agency is working with the company to try to facilitate the Starship launch-licensing process. "They're looking at a pretty aggressive launch schedule this year," he said. "They're looking at, I believe, at least nine launches this year. That's a lot of launches."

Next flight next month? … SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said his company is now targeting early to mid-March for the third launch attempt of Starship, following Starship's first two test flights last year. This flight of the highly experimental vehicle, Musk said, has a reasonably good chance of successfully reaching orbit. Coleman said that, from a regulatory standpoint, that timeline sounds "about right."

SpaceX has its eye on another Florida launch pad. One of the largest launch pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will become vacant later this year after the final flight of United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy rocket. SpaceX is looking to make the sprawling facility a new home for the Starship launch vehicle, Ars reports. SpaceX's interest in taking over Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) has been rumored for months, but a new website set up to inform the public about an environmental review of SpaceX's plan confirms the company is seeking to move in. This launch pad is on property owned by the US Space Force. Once ULA flies the final Delta IV next month, the company will hand the launch facility back over to the military, which will look for a new tenant. Including SLC-37, SpaceX now has plans in place for at least four Starship launch pads: Two in Texas, and two in Florida.

Hello to SLC-37, goodbye to LC-49 … In the near term, SpaceX plans to build a second Starship launch tower at the company's Starbase test site in Cameron County, Texas. There's also a partially built Starship launch tower at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, and now SpaceX has set its sights on SLC-37. SpaceX was previously looking at building another Starship launch pad from scratch on NASA property at Kennedy Space Center. NASA environmental studies for this location, known as Launch Complex 49, kicked off in 2021. Patti Bielling, a NASA spokesperson, told Ars the agency is no longer working on Launch Complex 49.

Next three launches

February 23: Long March 5 | Unknown Payload | Wenchang Space Launch Site, China | 11:30 UTC

February 24: Falcon 9 | Starlink 6-39 | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida | 21:59 UTC

February 29: Soyuz | Meteor-M 2-4 | Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia | 05:43 UTC