Soyuz Pad Fix, Ariane 6 Goals: This Week’s Rocket Report
▼ Summary
– Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket had a successful debut year, with its first launch in January and a second flight in November that included the booster’s first landing on an offshore platform.
– China’s Zhuque-3, a partially reusable methane-fueled rocket, successfully reached orbit on its first flight this month, though its booster narrowly missed its landing target.
– The Rocket Lab Electron rocket successfully launched four small satellites for a U.S. government technology demonstration mission from Virginia.
– The mission aims to test the viability of a new satellite design called DiskSats, developed by the Aerospace Corporation, as a proof of concept.
– This edition concludes the Rocket Report for 2025, with plans to resume publication in January covering news across all rocket classes.
The final weeks of the year have brought significant milestones for the global launch industry, with several new vehicles successfully entering service. Blue Origin’s New Glenn stands out, having completed its inaugural launch in January and a second flight in November that saw its booster land for the first time on a drone ship. Another major debut was China’s Zhuque-3, a medium-lift, methane-fueled rocket from LandSpace, which reached orbit on its first attempt this month, though its booster narrowly missed a downrange landing. The potential addition of China’s Long March 12A before year’s end could further cap a dynamic period for new rockets. This edition concludes our coverage for 2025, with regular updates resuming in the new year.
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In a mission for the U.S. Space Force and NASA, Rocket Lab successfully deployed four small satellites from Virginia. An Electron rocket lifted off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, carrying the payloads inside a specialized cylindrical dispenser. Roughly an hour after launch, the upper stage released each satellite sequentially into an orbit approximately 340 miles high. This government-funded mission serves as a technology demonstration, specifically a proof of concept for a novel satellite design known as DiskSats, which were developed by The Aerospace Corporation.
(Source: Ars Technica)
