Andrew Parsonson
RFA Secures New Test Site for Helix Engines
Rocket Factory Augsburg has struck an agreement with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to test its Helix engines at the historic Institute of Space Propulsion in Lampoldshausen. Who’s who in the zoo: RFA currently does all its engine testing at the Esrange Space Center in Sweden. Lampoldshausen is significantly closer to the company’s manufacturing facility…
Isar Adds Another Space Tug to Manifest
Exotrail has signed a launch services agreement with Isar Aerospace. The German launcher will conduct the flights on its forthcoming, two-stage Spectrum rocket from Norway’s Andøya Space and the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. More about Exotrail The French space mobility startup offers last-mile transportation for satellites aboard its spacevan vehicle as part of…
Ariane 6 Debut Slips to 2023
The debut of Europe’s Ariane 6 launch vehicle has slipped to Q4 of 2023—a timeframe that remains provisional. According to ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, the launch date will be contingent on the completion of three key milestones by Q1 2023: Completing the upper stage hot fire test campaign that began earlier this month. Commencing…
Orbex Secures £40.4M in Series C Funding
Orbex announced earlier today that it had successfully closed a £40.4M ($46.3M) Series C funding round. This latest round of funding pushes the company’s total funding to date past $100 million, making it one of the most well-funded launch startups in Europe. Road to $100+ million July 2018: £30M (approximately $33.8M) funding round that included…
Skyrora Skylark L Debut Ditched into Norwegian Sea
Skyrora revealed last week that the debut of its suborbital Skylark L vehicle ended abruptly after the rocket suffered an as-yet unidentified anomaly. The UK-based startup conducted the launch on Oct. 8 from a mobile launch site erected in Langanes, Iceland. Let bygones be bygones? In April, Skyrora published an article decrying the Icelandic government…
France Awards NewSpace Funding
Want to put a number on how seriously France is taking the future of its space sector? If so, you’re in luck. As part of its €54B ($52.5B) France 2030 Covid recovery package, the country earmarked 2.9% of funds—or €1.55B ($1.51B)—for space initiatives. Unpacking the news: During the first steering committee meeting for the space…
Ariane 6 Second Stage Breathes Fire
Europe’s next-gen Ariane 6 launch vehicle has taken a major step towards the launchpad with the first successful hot fire test of a complete second stage. The test was conducted by DLR and prime contractor ArianeGroup on October 5 with the Vinci-powered Ariane 6 second stage on its dedicated P5.2 test bench in Lampoldshausen, Germany. …
RFA Sign Two Launch Contracts Over Three Days
On Days #2 and #4 of IAC in Paris, German launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) signed a pair of launch contracts with Spaceflight Inc. and Indian space situational awareness (SSA) startup Digantara. Spaceflight signed a launch contract that will see RFA take the Seattle company’s Sherpa space tug to orbit. To date, Spaceflight has…
Have you met SUSIE?
During Day 1 of IAC in Paris, ArianeGroup execs unveiled the Smart Upper Stage for Innovative Exploration spacecraft concept…SUSIE, for short. The proposal is intended to equip Europe with independent crew and cargo access to LEO. Currently, the continent relies solely on the US for its crew transportation needs, after cutting ties with Russia’s launch…
Yuri Hitches a Ride on Dream Chaser
yuri’s ScienceTaxi will fly to the ISS on Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser in 2024, the companies recently announced. Confused? OK, OK…we’ll break it down piece by piece. Founded in 2019, yuri (the lower-case Y being the company’s preference) is developing the ScienceTaxi incubator for cost-effective access to microgravity research opportunities. The German space biotech startup…
Orbex Launches Major Recruitment Drive
Scottish launch startup Orbex has announced that it plans to add 50 new staff to its ranks over the next six months. Orbex is developing its 19-meter two-stage Prime vehicle, which can lift 150 kg payloads to orbit. The company unveiled the first full-scale prototype of the vehicle in May, which is currently being used…
Skyrora Goes Mobile with a Second Stage Hot Fire Test
Skyrora has test fired the second stage of its three-stage Skyrora XL rocket. The successful test comes on the heels of the UK-based launch startup opening its new 55,000-square-foot production facility in Cumbernauld, Scotland. Skyrora XL 101: 22.7m tall and 2.2m wide Capable of launching 315kg payloads Third stage can be swapped out for a…
Spaceflight to Launch Space Tugs on Arianespace’s Vega C
Spaceflight Inc has partnered with Italian launch broker SAB Launch Services (SAB-LS) to fly its Sherpa space tugs aboard Arianespace-managed, Avio-built Vega C rockets, making use of an ESA-initiated service. We’re going to need a diagram if this gets any more complicated. What’s in it for Spaceflight + SAB-LS? Founded in 2018, SAB-LS offers launch…
