Rocket Report: Stunning view of Falcon 9 landing, spaceport suit below

Welcome to version 5.14 of the Rocket Report! There’s plenty of little missile news to digest this week — from Japan to Washington to Australia, and back again. You should feel free to take your time to read it, as I’m going out next week, to work on a book project. Thank you for your patience.

As usual we Reader requests are welcomeAnd if you don’t want to miss any 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 missiles as well as a quick look at the next three launches in the calendar.

Virgin Orbit may seek more funding. Last December, when Virgin Orbit small satellite launch company was put up for public acquisition via the special purpose acquisition firm, it set a goal of raising $483 million. However, the company raised only $228 million. So now, months later, it appears that Virgin Orbit is looking to raise additional capital, and is based in London City AM . Publications Reports.

Target your November trip on LauncherOne Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit, said the launched company continues to receive financial support from the Virgin Group, but may seek more funding after the SPAC result. “We still get good support from them, but we’re looking to be opportunistic in the market,” he said. “Therefore, we will be looking to pursue capital as we move forward.” Hart made the comments as Virgin Orbit prepares for its first launch from the UK later this year.

Stokespace reveals ambitious plans. In a prolonged feature, Ars . reports On the path that Washington-based Stoke Space has taken over the past three years, since it was founded by two former Blue Origin propulsion engineers. Stoke aims to develop a fully reusable two-stage rocket with a lift capacity of just over 1.5 metric tons into low Earth orbit. Last month, the company began testing upper stage motors at a facility in Moses Lake, Washington. Pictures and videos show an intriguing episode with 15 separate impellers firing for several seconds.

hopper construction …the circular hull is 13 feet in diameter, and this new-look design is Stoke’s answer to one of the biggest challenges of recovering a second stage of orbit. Since it seeks to protect the upper stage motor during re-entry, Stoke plans to use a ring of 30 smaller thrusters. In a vacuum, the columns emanating from these nozzles are designed to merge and function as a single unit. And during re-entry, with fewer smaller thrusters fired, it is easier to protect the hatches. Next for the company, during the first half of 2023, a series of jump-tests of a second-stage prototype.

Epsilon missile failed on its sixth flight. A Japanese rocket failed during its launch attempt on Wednesday, with the Japanese space agency ordering the Epsilon launch vehicle to self-destruct just minutes after takeoff as it veered off its intended course. Mainichi Report. This development marks the JSA’s first rocket launch failure since November 2003, when an H2A rocket was intentionally destroyed shortly after liftoff. This new incident dealt a blow to JAXS in its quest to sell commercial satellite launches on Epsilon.

Seeking to restore confidence …the space agency has not provided much additional information about the accident, which appears to have occurred after the rocket’s second stage shutdown. It is possible that the third stage engine did not ignite. JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa said it was undeniable that the fatal mistake would affect various plans but stressed that the agency would “make every effort to restore confidence” in it. The agency is scheduled to launch its new flagship rocket H3 within fiscal year 2022 (which ends next March), having already been delayed twice before, as well as an updated Epsilon model scheduled for launch in fiscal year 2023. (Provided by Bonnie, Tsunam), Ken The son of)