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In a SpaceNews podcast episode, Mike Gruss speaks with Auriga Space CEO Winnie Lai about the idea of building a “highway to the moon and back.” The available summary does not specify a particular program, technology milestone or company announcement.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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In a SpaceNews podcast episode, Mike Gruss speaks with Auriga Space CEO Winnie Lai about the idea of building a “highway to the moon and back.” The available summary does not specify a particular program, technology milestone or company announcement.
A Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg on the evening of Oct. 15 carrying a classified payload for the U.S. Space Force. The launch adds to a pattern described as 18 launches without program names, prompting calls for more disclosure.
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.
High activity
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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