space launch vehicles
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Crucial Rocket Parts End Up Crushed in a Landfill, Imperilling Satellite Mission
The final mission of the European Space Agency’s Vega rocket has encountered a bizarre setback. Key propellant tanks required for its last flight were found damaged in a landfill, jeopardizing the scheduled 2024 launch. It’s common for wallets to go missing. Same for car keys and mobile phones. It happens. But for two propellant tanks…
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With a Small Hop, SpaceX Rival Edges Closer to Developing the World’s First Fully Reusable Rocket
During a 15-second test flight, Stoke Space launched Hopper2 and landed the prototype upper stage in what is a major milestone in the company’s plans to develop a fully reusable rocket. The Seattle-based company pulled off a vertical takeoff and landing of its launch vehicle on Sunday at its test site in Moses Lake, Washington,…
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Latest Design Tweaks Reshape Rocket Lab’s Upcoming Neutron Rocket
California-based Rocket Lab—the company voted most likely to compete with SpaceX—appears to be tinkering with its Neutron blueprints, as new artwork suggests. Founded in 2006, Peter Beck’s Rocket Lab is emerging as one of the more serious competitors to Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The company’s light-lift Electron rocket is currently performing routine flights to low Earth…
