Rocket Report: Another no-go for MOMO rocket, SpaceX invests in McGregor

Ars Technica » Scientific Method 2020-06-19

The Electron mission lifts off Saturday for the "Don't Stop Me Now" mission.

Enlarge / The Electron mission lifts off Saturday for the "Don't Stop Me Now" mission. (credit: Rocket Lab)

Welcome to Edition 3.04 of the Rocket Report! This week we're looking ahead to an exciting Vega launch on Friday evening (or early Saturday, if you're in Europe) that will be worth watching if you're near a computer. This is Vega's return-to-flight mission, and it's always fun to watch the small, solid-fueled rocket, well, rocket off the launch pad.

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.

Rocket Lab launches, signs two more customers. On Saturday, an Electron rocket successfully launched a set of payloads for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and two universities on a mission delayed 2.5 months by the coronavirus pandemic. All five payloads on the rocket for the Don't Stop Me Now mission were successfully deployed in a "perfect orbit," SpaceNews reported.

Read 26 remaining paragraphs | Comments