Ariane 6 Reaches Orbit - SpaceNews This Week

Top stories of the week from SpaceNews

Welcome to our weekly roundup of the top SpaceNews stories of the week, brought to you every Friday! This week, Ariane 6's debut launch succeeded amidst other failed launches around the world, the House announced the NASA Reauthorization Act, Private equity firm AE Industrial Partners wants to invest more of its new $1.28 billion fund in space, Starliner's stay at the ISS gets extended again, and more. Our Top Story Ariane 6 reaches orbit with long-awaited first flight By Andrew Jones, July 9, 2024 Europe's Ariane 6 rocket launched for the first time Tuesday, providing a significant boost for the continent's space plans. The Ariane 6 rocket lifted off from the Kourou launch site in French Guiana at 3:01 p.m. Eastern (1901 UTC) on July 9. The launch followed a short delay due to a data acquisition system issue. The rocket's pair of solid boosters separated just over two minutes into the flight at an altitude of 62 kilometers. The main stage's new liquid hydrogen and oxygen-fueled Vulcain 2.1 engine cut off as planned just under eight minutes after liftoff.  However, the rocket was unable to perform a final burn to deorbit because of a problem with its auxiliary propulsion unit (APU). This issue prevented the deployment of two reentry capsules as originally planned. Despite the APU problem, officials considered the launch a success and plan to move ahead with the first operational launch later this year. Other News From the Week LAUNCH Falcon 9 suffers upper stage engine failure The engine on the upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 malfunctioned during a launch July 11, causing the potential loss of a batch of Starlink satellites and creating repercussions across the space industry. The incident is the first failure, partial or total, for a Falcon since a September 2016 pad explosion during a pre-flight test. China's Long March 6A rocket appears to have an orbital debris problem The upper stage of China's Long March 6A rocket appears to be creating numerous pieces of space debris, adding to the growing issue of orbital debris. The nature and cause of the debris is unclear. It could be related to passivation of the stage or broken insulation.  Chinese commercial rocket firm suffers 4th launch failure Chinese commercial rocket outfit iSpace suffered a launch failure late Wednesday in a fresh setback for the company. The company stated the specific reasons for the failure will be announced as soon as possible after detailed investigation and review. The statement did not reveal the name nor nature of the payloads lost on the flight. Commercial AEI hunting for more space investments after closing $1.28 billion fund More than a quarter of the fund has already been deployed into companies that include spacecraft maker York Space Systems and small satellite launcher Firefly Aerospace. "We believe that space is currently one of the best sectors to invest in due to its huge growth potential," AEI managing partner Kirk Konert told SpaceNews. Dawn Aerospace gets approvals for supersonic rocketplane tests The New Zealand company announced July 11 that the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a certificate for its Mark-II Aurora vehicle, allowing it to go to unlimited speeds and altitudes as high as 24,400 meters (80,000 feet.) Nine ventures join first SoCal-UK Space Accelerator Mandala Space Ventures, a Californian venture studio and incubator, announced July 8 the nine United Kingdom-based startups participating in its UK Space Agency-funded accelerator program. The eight-week virtual course starts Sept. 3 and culminates with an in-person investor pitch day at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California.  CIVIL Starliner return eyed for end of July as tests continue At a July 10 briefing, officials said ongoing ground tests of the spacecraft's reaction control system (RCS) thrusters at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico had failed to replicate the conditions experienced by the thrusters that caused five of them to be shut down by the spacecraft's computer during the spacecraft's approach to the station June 6. House introduces NASA reauthorization act The bill would formally authorize $25.225 billion in funding for NASA in fiscal year 2025, a figure between the administration's request of $25.384 billion and the $25.179 billion included in a bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee July 9. The key purpose of the bill, though, is to address a wide range of NASA programs and policies. Pentagon greenlights $140 billion ICBM program despite cost overruns The Sentinel program aims to replace the aging Minuteman III ICBMs, which form the land-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad. Total program acquisition costs are now estimated at $140.9 billion. House spending bill directs NASA to study asteroid and orbital debris missions The House Appropriations Committee released the report accompanying its commerce, justice and science (CJS) spending bill July 8, one day before a markup by the full committee. The report includes additional details about spending for NASA programs as well as other provisions. Among those details are provisions calling on NASA to at least begin studies of missions not included in the agency's request. AI Microsoft leads $40 million funding for Starlink networking startup San Francisco-based startup Armada announced the investment July 11. The venture, which said it has received around $100 million from investors after emerging from stealth six months ago, is first focusing on deploying artificial intelligence computing tools designed to empower remotely connected devices. OPINION The end of Chevron deference and what Loper Bright means for the space industry By Philip Hover-Smoot, July 10, 2024 On June 28, the United States Supreme Court issued its ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, seizing for both itself and lower court judges a key role in determining how federal agencies interpret the laws they carry out. In overturning the 40-year-old precedent of Chevron deference, the federal judiciary will no longer defer to the expertise of federal agencies in how they craft policy. With the death of Chevron, we are seeing the birth of a new administrative czar, and the ushering in of a new era of regulatory uncertainty. Perhaps no corner of American industry will experience this more acutely than the nascent space industry. Its reliance on novel technologies and new business models means the space industry is particularly exposed to the actions, or inactions, of federal agency decisions. Russia's nuclear threat to space is worse than a "Cuban Missile Crisis in space" By Daniel Duchaine, July 9, 2024 SpaceNews is committed to publishing our community's diverse perspectives. Whether you're an academic, executive, engineer or even just a concerned citizen of the cosmos, send your arguments and viewpoints to opinion@spacenews.com to be considered for publication online or in our next magazine. Copyright (C) 2024 Multiverse Media Inc.. All rights reserved. You signed up to receive this newsletter on Spacenews.com. At times you may receive marketing material. Our mailing address is: Multiverse Media Inc. 100 Fillmore St. 5th Floor Denver, CO 80206 USA Want to change how you receive these emails? 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