ArianeGroup's reusable rocket subsidiary is moving slowly. A subsidiary of European space conglomerate ArianeGroup set up in early 2022 to develop a reusable micro-launcher apparently hasn't done a whole lot in its first year of operation. The company, named MaiaSpace, reported expenses of 3.49 million euros in its first year, nearly half of which was devoted to workforce and staffing costs, European Spaceflight reports. MaiaSpace is developing a small satellite launcher named Maia that is supposed to be ready to fly in 2026, powered by reusable methane-fueled Prometheus engines ArianeGroup is developing in partnership with the European Space Agency.
It'll cost a lot more than that ... MaiaSpace reported its accomplishments in the first year of operations included hiring staff, completing high-level vehicle design, establishing international partnerships, implementing industrial facilities, and delivering a full-scale stage prototype model. It wouldn't be expected for MaiaSpace to make a ton of progress in its first year, but ArianeGroup will need to put a lot more resources into MaiaSpace for it to achieve its goal of launching the new rocket in 2026. We'll see what Year 2 brings for MaiaSpace to get a better idea of the seriousness of this effort. (submitted by EllPeaTea and Ken the Bin)
A serious step toward space-based nuclear propulsion. NASA announced on July 26 that it is partnering with the US Department of Defense to launch a nuclear-powered rocket engine into space as early as 2027, Ars reports. The US space agency will invest about $300 million in the project to develop a next-generation propulsion system for in-space transportation, and the government has selected Lockheed Martin and BWX Technologies as contractors for the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program. "NASA is looking to go to Mars with this system," said Anthony Calomino, an engineer at NASA who is leading the agency's space nuclear propulsion technology program. "And this test is really going to give us that foundation."
Nuclear option ... Traditional chemical propulsion is great for blasting rockets off the surface of the Earth, but such machines are terribly inefficient for moving around the Solar System. Nuclear thermal propulsion is one alternative that could offer a more efficient means of rocket transport in deep space. NASA will take the lead in overseeing the development of the nuclear engine for the DRACO test vehicle, DARPA will manage the overall program and take responsibility for mission operations and regulatory issues, and the Space Force will arrange for the launch on a Vulcan or Falcon 9 rocket.
Next SpaceX crew launch slips two days. The launch of the next four-person crew to the International Space Station has been delayed by two days to August 17, Space.com reports. The reason for the slight schedule slip is a delay in the launch of the preceding mission from the same launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. It takes a few weeks for SpaceX to transition the launch pad from the configuration needed for a Falcon Heavy rocket—which is set to fly in late July—to the configuration for a crew launch on a Falcon 9 rocket.
SpaceX keeps flying ... The upcoming crew launch will be SpaceX's 11th human spaceflight mission, and the seventh operational launch of astronauts for NASA. Officials from the US space agency have consistently spoken about how SpaceX's rapid launch cadence builds their confidence in the reliability of the Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX launched two more Falcon 9s over the last week from Florida and California, both carrying more satellites into orbit for the Starlink Internet network. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
Ariane 6 testing underway. For the first time, ground teams at the Guiana Space Center in South America have loaded cryogenic propellants into a full-scale test model of Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket. The test on July 18 ran for 26 hours, according to the European Space Agency, but ended before a planned four-second test-firing of the Ariane 6's first-stage main engine. The ignition test "had to be postponed to the next test session as time ran out," ESA said.
Murkiness from Kourou ... It took a week for ESA to report the results of the propellant loading test at the launch base in Kourou, French Guiana, and the fact that one of the major objectives of the test was not achieved. The first launch of the Ariane 6 rocket is years behind schedule, and the rocket it is supposed to replace—the Ariane 5—flew for the last time on July 5. ESA has said it won't announce a target launch schedule with ArianeGroup for the first Ariane 6 rocket until the completion of a series of tests in French Guiana and Europe this summer, but it will probably be sometime next year, assuming engineers check off these upcoming milestones on a reasonably good schedule. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
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