Missile report: Norway’s nuclear missile concerns; Ariane 6 is delayed again

Welcome to Rocket Report Release 5.15! We’re back with the usual rocket news about launch delays and fundraising by companies on their way to orbit. Speaking of boosts, is it really possible for Vector Launch to rise from the dead? Read on to find out.

As always, we We welcome reader submissions, and if you don’t want to miss an issue, subscribe using the box below (the form won’t display on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small, medium and heavy rockets, as well as a brief overview of the next three launches on the calendar.

Terran 1 could be launched in 2023. Relativity Space recently completed testing the first stage of the Terran 1 rocket, and engineers and technicians are now attaching the second stage to the rocket. In a few weeks, the finished vehicle will return to Launch Complex 16 at the Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, for static fire tests and, if all goes well, a launch attempt. This is reported by Ars. “We’re confident in our technical readiness to launch this year, and we’re still moving toward that,” Tim Ellis, co-founder and CEO of Relativity Space, told Ars.

There is always a but … Ellis continued, “But there are a few outside factors as we get closer to the end of the year that could affect the schedule for us. It’s not a guarantee, but it could be.” Those external factors include other users of the Florida spaceport, including uncertainty surrounding the mid-November launch of a NASA Space Launch System rocket and blackout periods as part of the military’s holiday space release plan. This effectively excludes Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day launches due to the large number of airline flights.

Tracking the Canadian Missile Race. This newsletter has written a lot and even more about the development of commercial launches in the United States, China, Europe and India. But what about Canada? It turns out there are at least five Canadian companies working on developing their own commercial startup capabilities. These companies are summarized in new article in SpaceQ, which is (unfortunately) past due. Most companies are working toward the goal of launching from the Nova Scotia spaceport, which is under development.

Big ideas, small payloads … Five companies are located in Calgary (AVRO Aerospace), Toronto (C6 Launch Systems, Nordspace and SpaceRyde) and Montreal (Reaction Dynamics). All are planning some variant of a launch vehicle for small satellites, with some ideas more radical than others – such as the SpaceRyde balloon launch concept. I’m not informed enough to comment on the viability of any of these companies, but a small startup is a tough business. However, if the Canadian Space Agency started bidding and awarding contracts, it would help us distinguish between who is legitimate and who is not.

Orbex raises $45.8 million in new funding. Scotland-based Orbex announced earlier this month that it had raised £40.4 million ($45.8 million) in a Series C round led by the Scottish National Investment Bank, a new investor in the company. This is reported by Space News. Orbex is developing Prime, a small launch vehicle designed to launch up to 180 kilograms into Earth orbit. The vehicle, built by the company at its plant in Forres, Scotland, will initially launch from the Sutherland Space Centre, a new launch site being developed in Northern Scotland.

Best time in 2023? … Orbex previously raised $24 million in December 2020 and $39 million in July 2018. The company also won €7.45 million from the European Space Agency in March 2021 as part of the Boost! program to support the development of new launch vehicles. The company says it is targeting the first launch of its Prime rocket next year and is working towards its “long-term goal of creating a reliable, economically successful and environmentally sustainable European space launch business”. (submitted by Ken the Bin and EllPeaTea)