Rocket Report: Ariane 64 to debut soon; India has a Falcon 9 clone too?

Rocket Report: Ariane 64 to debut soon; India has a Falcon 9 clone too?

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“We are essentially moving our technique to protecting our munitions supply chain.”

SpaceX released the Pandora satellite for NASA on Sunday.


Credit: SpaceX

Invite to Edition 8.25 of the Rocket Report! All eyes are on Florida this weekend as NASA presents the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to its launch website in Florida for the Artemis II objective. NASA has actually not revealed a launch date yet, and this will depend in part on how well a”damp gown practice session” opts for sustaining the rocket. It is most likely the rocket has a no-earlier-than launch date of February 8. Our own Stephen Clark will remain in Florida for the rollout on Saturday, so make certain and examine back here for protection.

As constantly, we invite reader submissions, and if you do not wish to miss out on a problem, please subscribe utilizing package listed below (the type will not appear on AMP-enabled variations of the website). Each report will consist of details on little-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets in addition to a glance ahead at the next 3 launches on the calendar.

MaiaSpace ratings a significant launch offerThe ArianeGroup subsidiary, produced in 2022, has actually tattooed a significant brand-new launch agreement with satellite operator Eutelsat, Le Monde reports. A considerable part of the 440 brand-new satellites purchased by Eutelsat from Airbus to restore or broaden its OneWeb constellation will be introduced into orbit by the brand-new Maia rocket. MaiaSpace formerly signed 2 agreements: one with Exotrail for the launch of an orbital transfer, and the other for 2 satellites for the Toutatis objective, a defense system established by U-Space.

A big win for the French company … The very first test launch of Maia is arranged for completion of 2026, a year behind at first prepared, at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. The very first flights bring OneWeb satellites are for that reason most likely to release no earlier than 2027. Powered by liquid oxygen-methane propellant, Maia intends to be able to provide up to 500 kg to low-Earth orbit when the very first phase is recuperated, and 1,500 kg when completely expendable.

Firefly reveals Alpha upgrade strategyFirefly Aerospace stated today it was preparing a “Block II” upgrade to its Alpha rocket that will “concentrate on improving dependability, enhancing producibility, and enhancing launch operations to additional assistance commercial, civil, and nationwide security objective need.” Firefly’s upcoming Alpha Flight 7, targeted to release in the coming weeks, will be the last flown in the present setup and will function as a test flight with numerous Block II subsystems in shadow mode.

A lot of failures … “Firefly worked carefully with clients and integrated information and lessons gained from our very first 6 Alpha launches and numerous hardware tests to make upgrades that increase dependability and manufacturability with combined parts, essential setup updates, and more powerful structures constructed with automated equipment,” stated Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. Speaking candidly, dependability upgrades are required. Of Alpha’s 6 launches to date, just 2 have actually been a total success. (sent by TFargo04)

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Another PSLV launch failureIndia’s very first launch of 2026 ended in failure due to a problem with the 3rd phase of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Spaceflight Now reports. The objective, designated PSLV-C62, was likewise the 2nd successive failure of this four-stage rocket, with both abnormalities impacting the 3rd phase. This time, 16 satellites were lost, consisting of those of other countries. ISRO stated it started a “in-depth analysis” to identify the origin of the abnormality.

Has actually been India’s workhorse rocket … The four-stage launch car is a mix of strong- and liquid- sustained phases. Both the very first and 3rd phases are solid-fueled, while the 2nd and 4th phases are powered by liquid propulsion. The PSLV Rocket has actually flown in several setups because it debuted in September 1993 and attained 58 completely effective launches, with the payloads on those objectives reaching their desired orbit.

United States military buys L3Harris rocket motorsThe United States federal government will invest $1 billion in L3Harris Technologies’ growing rocket motor service, ensuring a constant supply of the much-needed motors utilized in a wide variety of rockets such as Tomahawks and Patriot interceptors, CNBC reports. L3Harris stated on Tuesday it is preparing an IPO of its growing rocket motor company into a brand-new openly traded business backed by a $1 billion federal government convertible security financial investment. The securities will immediately transform to typical equity when the business goes public later on in 2026.

Moving financial investment technique … “We are essentially moving our technique to protecting our munitions supply chain,” stated Michael Duffey, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment. “By investing straight in providers we are constructing the resistant commercial base required for the Arsenal of Freedom.” The federal government’s equity position in L3Harris might deal with blowback from L3Harris’ competitors, provided that it develops a possibly substantial dispute of interest for the United States federal government. The Pentagon will have an ownership stake in a business that frequently bids on significant defense and other federal government agreements.

Ariane 64 to introduce next monthArianespace revealed Thursday that it prepares to release the very first variation of the Ariane 6 rocket with 4 strong rocket boosters on February 12 from French Guiana. The objective will likewise be the business’s very first launch of Amazon Leo (previously Project Kuiper)satellites. This is the very first of 18 Ariane 6 launches that Arianespace offered to Amazon for the broadband interactions megaconstellation.

A growing cadence … The Ariane 6 rocket has actually released 5 times, including its launching flight in July 2024. All of the launches were a success, although the very first flight stopped working to relight the upper phase in order to make a regulated reentry. Arianespace increased the cadence to 4 launches in 2015 and will look for to attempt to double that this year.

Falcon 9 launches the Pandora objectiveNASA’s Pandora satellite soared into orbit early Sunday from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, Ars reports. It rode with around 40 other little payloads aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, introducing into a polar Sun-synchronous orbit before releasing at an elevation of approximately 380 miles (613 kilometers).

A satellite that can bring a tune … Pandora will enhance the abilities of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Over the next couple of weeks, ground controllers will put Pandora through a series of commissioning and calibration actions before turning its eyes towards deep area. From low-Earth orbit, Pandora will observe exoplanets and their stars all at once, enabling astronomers to remedy their measurements of the world’s climatic structure and structure based upon the ever-changing conditions of the host star itself.

ArianeGroup looking for concepts for Ariane 6 reuseIn this week’s newsletter, we’ve currently had a story about MaiaSpace and another product about the Ariane 6 rocket. Why not integrate the 2 and likewise have a report about an Ariane 6 mashup with the Maia rocket? As it ends up, there’s a reasonably brand-new proposition to retrofit the existing Ariane 6 rocket style for partial reuse with Maia rockets as side boosters, Ars reports.

Sir, maia I have some expense savings… It’s infeasible to recuperate the Ariane 6’s core phase for numerous factors. Chief amongst them is that the primary phase burns for more than 7 minutes on an Ariane 6 flight, reaching speeds about two times as quick as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster attains throughout its two-and-a-half minutes of operation throughout launch. Switching out Ariane 6’s strong rocket motors for multiple-use liquid boosters makes some financial sense for ArianeGroup. The proposition would bring the advancement and production of the boosters under complete control of ArianeGroup and its French subsidiary, cutting Italy’s strong rocket motor designer, Avio, out of the program. All the exact same, we’ll think this when we see it.

Fulfill the EtherealX Razor Crest Mk-1I discovered that there is a rocket business established in Bengaluru, India, called Ethereal Exploration Guild, or EtherealX. (Did you see what they did there?) I discovered this out due to the fact that the business revealed (by means of e-mail) that it had actually raised an oversubscribed $20.5 million Series A round led by TDK Ventures and BIG Capital. Naturally, I went to the EtherealX site looking for more details.

Let me state, I was not dissatisfied … As you may anticipate from a business called EtherealX, its proposed rocket has 9 engines, is powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene, and has an optimum capability of 24.8 metric heaps to low-Earth orbit. (Did you see what they did there?) The site does not consist of much details, however there is this banger of a declaration: “The EtherealX Razor Crest Mk-1 will house 9 of the most effective functional liquid rocket engines in Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, and Antarctica– Stallion.” And let’s be sincere, when you’ve bested Antarctica in engine advancement, you understand you’re cooking. Unfortunately, what I did not see on the site was much proof of genuine hardware.

NASA falls historical Saturn and shuttle bus facilities2 historical NASA test centers utilized in the advancement of the Saturn V and area shuttle bus launch cars have actually been destroyed after overlooking the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama considering that the start of the Space Age, Ars reports. The Propulsion and Structural Test Facility, which was put up in 1957– the very same year the very first synthetic satellite got in Earth orbit– and the Dynamic Test Facility, which has actually stood given that 1964, were lowered by a collaborated series of implosions on Saturday, January 10.

Out with the old, in with the brand-new … Located in Marshall’s East Test Area on the United States Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, the 2 structures were no longer in usage and, according to NASA, had a stockpile of $25 million in required repair work. “This work shows clever stewardship of taxpayer resources,” Jared Isaacman, NASA administrator, stated in a declaration. “Clearing dated facilities permits NASA to securely update, simplify operations and totally take advantage of the facilities financial investments signed into law by President Trump to keep Marshall placed at the leading edge of aerospace development.”

Area Force swaps Vulcan for Falcon 9The next Global Positioning System satellite is changing from a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket to a SpaceX Falcon 9, a representative for the United States Space Force Space Systems Command System Delta 80 stated Tuesday, Spaceflight Now reports. SpaceX might release the GPS III Space Vehicle 09 (SV09) within the next couple of weeks, as the satellite was getting in the lasts of pre-flight preparations.

The trade is sensible … SV09 was initially granted to ULA as part of order-year 5 of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 agreement, which was revealed on October 31, 2023. This isn’t the very first time that the Space Force has actually mixed timelines and changed launch suppliers for GPS objectives. In May 2025, SpaceX released the GPS III SV08 spacecraft, which was initially designated to ULA in June 2023. In exchange, ULA was offered the SV11 launch, which would have flown on a Falcon Heavy rocket. The modifications have actually been driven mainly by duplicated hold-ups in Vulcan preparedness.

Next 3 launches

January 16: Long March 3B|Unidentified payload|Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China|16:55 UTC

January 17: Ceres 2|Demonstration flight|Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China|04:05 UTC

January 17: Falcon 9|NROL-105|Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.|06:18 UTC

Eric Berger is the senior area editor at Ars Technica, covering whatever from astronomy to personal area to NASA policy, and author of 2 books: Liftoffabout the increase of SpaceX; and Reentryon the advancement of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon. A licensed meteorologist, Eric resides in Houston.

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