Rocket Report: Vega soars, Delta 2 end nears, hearing a Falcon Heavy launch

Enlarge / The Rocket Report is published weekly. (credit: Arianespace/Aurich Lawson)

Welcome to Edition 1.14 of the Rocket Report! This week, we've got lots of news to share about small rockets for big airplanes, the last flight of the venerable Delta 2 rocket, and a report on whether any new technologies might be coming along soon to supplant rockets. (Spoiler alert: probably not).

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and 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 ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Stratolaunch discloses rocket-development plans. The maker of the world's largest airplane, which appears to be progressing toward a maiden flight late this year, has released some of its plans for what it will send into space. In addition to the previously announced Pegasus rockets, the company plans to develop a medium and heavy rocket that will carry 3.4 and 6 tons to low Earth orbit. Stratolaunch is also doing early development work on a space plane.