Via Satellite
• Frank Wolfe
United Launch Alliance is moving payload fairing manufacturing for its Vulcan rocket in-house, following SpaceX’s practice of producing fairings at its Hawthorne, California, plant. The shift gives ULA greater control over a critical launch-vehicle component and may reduce costs through vertical integration.
European Spaceflight
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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On Nov. 4, 2015, the experimental Super Strypi rocket failed shortly after liftoff from Hawaii on its first launch. The rail-launched vehicle was carrying 13 small satellites, making the mission an unsuccessful test of a new approach to placing payloads in orbit.
United Launch Alliance is moving payload fairing manufacturing for its Vulcan rocket in-house, following SpaceX’s practice of producing fairings at its Hawthorne, California, plant. The shift gives ULA greater control over a critical launch-vehicle component and may reduce costs through vertical integration.
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PLD Space has completed an explosive test of the flight termination system for its MIURA 5 rocket, a milestone in preparations for the vehicle’s inaugural flight planned for 2027. The test advances a key safety system ahead of launch, though no further technical details were provided.
Hanwha Aerospace has inaugurated a space launch vehicle manufacturing facility in Suncheon, South Korea, as it prepares to produce domestically developed Nuri rockets from the end of the decade. The company says the investment is part of its effort to establish a stronger position in the private space market.
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Maritime Launch Services has begun trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange as it advances development of Spaceport Nova Scotia. The company says progress is supported by new government and commercial partnerships, linking its public-market profile to efforts to develop a Canadian launch site.
On Nov. 3, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Laika aboard Sputnik 2, making the dog the first animal to orbit Earth. The spacecraft lifted off from Baikonur atop an R-7 rocket, marking a milestone in early spaceflight.
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