Rocket Report: Falcon Heavy launch on tap; South Korea seeks Russia alternative
Enlarge / Collage of Crew-5 launch photos from Wednesday Oct. 5 2022. (credit: Trevor Mahlmann)
Welcome to Edition 5.13 of the Rocket Report! Lots of news to discuss this week, as usual. Also, be on the lookout for a report from me early next week with some new information about a Washington-based startup, Stoke Space, working to develop a fully reusable rocket. They're beginning to make some credible progress.
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.
Firefly reaches orbit, but ... Powered by four Reaver engines, Firefly's Alpha rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 12:01 am local time on Saturday, delivering several small payloads into low Earth orbit after relighting its upper stage. This success followed an initial launch attempt in September 2021, where one of the four Reaver engines failed during ascent. With this second launch, the Alpha rocket became the first of a new generation of rockets capable of lifting approximately one metric ton to reach orbit, Ars reports.