Welcome to version 8.37 of Rocket Report! NASA is still descending from the altitude of the Artemis II mission, the first manned flight to the Moon since 1972. What a mission it was! Now, attention is focused on completing the development of a lander to bring astronauts to the lunar surface. Among other things, we detail the latest progress from NASA’s two lunar lander contractors, SpaceX and Blue Origin, in this week’s Rocket Report.
As always, we welcome reader submissions. 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 at the next three launches on the calendar.
Moon shot from the final range. Israel-based space launch company Moonshot Space will install its first electromagnetic accelerator in Fairbanks, Alaska, under a memorandum of understanding signed with spaceport operator Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) at the Space Symposium, Aviation Week & Space Technology reports. Moonshot, which emerged from stealth mode in December with $12 million in funding, is developing a high-power electromagnetic launcher system to propel payloads and enable cargo delivery into space at hypersonic speeds using electricity instead of chemical fuel, The Times of Israel reports.
Taking the side of the fearless... “This agreement reflects AAC’s commitment to leading innovation in the Last Frontier,” said John Oberst, CEO of AAC. “We are working with visionary companies like Moonshot Space to align the infrastructure, partnerships and regulatory pathways to support the next generation of space access.” Moonshot’s chief operating officer and co-founder, Shahar Bahiri, believes the company’s approach is “extremely brave” and that its adoption by a spaceport operator “is not taken lightly.” Moonshot’s approach is really unusual. Even if the company gets the technology to work, the kinetic launch approach comes with the downside of extreme acceleration, which could damage or destroy normal satellites. Instead, Moonshot envisions shooting raw materials into orbit for manufacturing in space.
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