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Rocket Report: Era of cheap launch is over? Astra sets early 2027 target for return
“The customer got comfortable with a high reliability and a low price.”
Welcome to Edition 9.12 of the Rocket Report! The big story in the global launch industry remains SpaceX’s plans to wind down Falcon 9 operations for commercial launches, possibly within the next two or three years. That has created a scramble among satellite operators and some positioning among up-and-coming launch providers. Notably, in this week’s newsletter, there’s a story about how Firefly expects launch to become more expensive, and that customers got too used to rapid, reliable launch with the Falcon 9. I’m not sure that philosophy will work out long term.
As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don’t want to miss an 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-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.
The best-named rocket in the world is sadly delayed. French launch startup HyPrSpace announced that it has pushed the inaugural flight of its Baguette One suborbital rocket to 2027, European Spaceflight reports. The 10-meter Baguette One rocket is a single-stage vehicle is capable of carrying up to 300 kg. It is powered by the company’s hybrid propulsion system, which combines liquid oxygen with solid polyethylene fuel.
An appetizing launch … Originally the company had been targeting 2026 for the suborbital rocket’s debut. In moving the target to 2027, however, the company revealed that the vehicle’s launch site will be the French Directorate General of Armaments location at Biscarrosse in southwestern France. “Seeing Baguette One lift off from French soil, after years of development and testing, will be a historic moment for HyPrSpace and its teams,” said HyPrSpace CEO Nicolas Billecocq.
Astra targeting “early” 2027 for return to flight. In a lengthy interview with The Debrief, Astra chief executive Chris Kemp said the company is targeting early 2027 for the launch of the Rocket 4.0 vehicle. The rocket, 18.9 meters tall, aims to eventually deliver up to 1 metric ton to low-Earth orbit. Kemp said Astra is aiming to make hundreds of rockets per year.
New rocket, same Kemp … “We chose not to do what a lot of other companies are doing,” Kemp said. “We’re not making a reusable rocket. We’re not making a very expensive engine cycle where the engines are very, very expensive. We’re trying to build a soda can.” And how good will Rocket 4.0 be? “I think this is going to be the most reliable, most affordable rocket ever produced in the history of the world,” Kemp said.
Down Under launch site may be nixed. A launch site under development in southern Australia, near Adelaide, may not go forward, the Australian Broadcast Corporation reports. The Native Vegetation Council denied variations to the heritage agreement at Whalers Way, where Southern Launch hopes to build a space facility. Southern Launch’s bid to create the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex has been met with ongoing opposition from conservation groups, including the local Eyre Peninsula Environmental Protection Alliance.
Endangered species … One reason for this is that the proposed site is a recognized conservation area for native vegetation and fauna. Rebecca Boulton from Birdlife Australia welcomed the upholding of the heritage agreement in place at the site since 1987, a habitat she said was home to two endangered bird species. “A couple of species down there at Whalers Way are part of our recovery team, so the mallee whipbird is one of the species that we work with, and the Eyre Peninsula is the stronghold for that species,” she said. (submitted by SubWoofer2)
Serious concerns about space debris. Over the last decade, the European Space Agency has produced an annual report that provides a transparent overview of global space activities and assesses the quality of efforts to preserve the sustainability