Welcome to Edition 9.09 of the Rocket Report. This installment covers Blue Origin’s groundbreaking for a new Payload Processing Facility in Florida and Isar Aerospace’s upcoming effort to launch the Spectrum rocket.
It has been roughly a month since Blue Origin provided substantial updates regarding its heavy-lift New Glenn vehicle, which remains grounded following an explosion on the pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in May. While the company maintains that it is targeting a return to flight by the end of the year, skepticism remains widespread.
In other news, German launch provider Isar Aerospace is preparing for another attempt to place the Spectrum rocket into orbit. According to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), a weeklong launch window opens on Friday at Andøya Spaceport. The privately funded, two-stage launcher aims to deliver several small CubeSats to orbit. This follows a failed test flight last year and multiple aborted attempts since January, which were halted by technical issues and range unavailability in northern Norway.
This report continues to include coverage of small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets, along with a preview of the next three launches on the calendar. Reader submissions are welcome.
Blue Origin needs to stop digging holes and fix that New Glenn. The skepticism is well-deserved after the May explosion.
Isar’s quest feels like Groundhog Day. Another launch window opens, but will the hardware finally cooperate this time?
Fascinating to see both the grounded heavy lifter and the struggling smallsat launcher highlighted together. The industry’s tough right now.
Can we please just talk about space for once? Both stories seem dominated by delays and failures rather than progress.