Seth Kurkowski

Rocket Lab announced Wednesday that they would take another big step in reusability, one of their most important, to re-fly its first flight-proven engine. The flight is guessed to take place later this year.

Well, this was unexpected… SpaceX has added two new items to its online store, and I’ve never been more tempted to buy them. For pre-sale only, you can give the company your hard-earned cash for a large torch in the shape of Starship.

This is a great week for those of us that are Starship fans since it could (maybe), possibly, make its maiden launch on its integrated flight test. Meanwhile, SpaceX is also launching its second batch of Gen 2 Starlink satellites later this week.

Relativity announced Wednesday that it isn’t just altering its future but potentially the future of the space launch sector. The change in goal came after a highly successful test flight of its Terran 1 rocket.

Have you ever wondered what the rings around Uranus looked like? Well, look no further than NASA, which used its newest and most powerful space telescope to take a long look at Uranus to show its true, usually hidden, beauty. Queue seven-year-olds’ giggles.

While we only have two launches this week, both have potentially significant implications for the future of spaceflight and science. First up will be SpaceX’s Transporter-7 mission with a rumored new MVAC design, and the second is the launch of ESA’s JUICE mission to Jupiter’s moons.

With a path to provide cheap reliable access to higher altitudes and eventually space, Dawn Aerospace conducted its first rocket-powered test flight of its MK-II Aurora aircraft.

The House’s Committee of Science, Space, and Technology penned a letter to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson asking why most NASA Headquarters staff is still remote. This change should have been reverted after President Biden announced an end to the pandemic.

Next week Arianespace is looking to return to launching rockets and make its 2023 debut with a launch of the Ariane 5 heavy-lift rocket from French Guiana. Ariane 5 will get to launch one more major scientific milestone mission before its retirement later this year.

Virgin Orbit announced Tuesday morning that it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after it ceased operations and practically ran out of cash. This comes less than a week after the company laid off most of its workforce.

It’s April already, which means NASA has shared the crew flying on Artemis 2. In an event at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, alongside numerous other NASA and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) leaders, announced the four-person team.

If you thought last week was empty on the launch schedule, this week looks to be even worse for those wanting to see more launches. Right now, on the schedule, we only see one launch from North America or Europe, to no one’s surprise, that is SpaceX.

In 2019, SpaceX launched its first batch of 60 Starlink satellites. Since then, there have been two sides of the mega constellation debate: those that support and fear them. While I wish I could answer which of those sides is correct, I can only provide the latter more to worry about because China is entering stage right.

In an all-hands meeting Thursday afternoon, Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart told employees the bad news we had been expecting for a few days. The company will be laying off most of its workforce and cease operations due to a failure to gain funding.

According to two sources, SpaceX could be getting its FAA launch license for its Starship launch vehicle. If true, this could lead to Elon Musk’s state of launching in late April actually being accurate (I SAID STOP LAUGHING).

It looked like Boeing would have a fantastic April with the launch of its first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft. However, now it seems like we’re going to have to wait until July before we see this milestone launch from the company to the International Space Station.

The European Space Agency’s High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) released a report on the current state of Europe’s human exploration program. It calls for the continent to go all in on space, or risk being left in the dust.

Europe has become a key partner in many of NASA’s programs, including the Artemis Program. However, the continent’s space agency seems to have much more ambitious plans, rather than just helping NASA with its goals. The ESA’s HLAG report makes it clear that its objective should be to bolster its commercial market with its own human exploration program, including low Earth orbit and the Moon.

It looks like we will be getting an update on Astra’s progress on its Launch System 2 next month with the company’s second annual “Spacetech Day” event. The event will also cover the company’s electric propulsion system.

In contrast to the last few weeks, this week is relativity quiet in modern space launch terms. However, we do have the possibility of two SpaceX launches within 24 hours of each other again if launch dates hold and the weather is good.