Rocket Report: Indian startup nears first launch; SpaceX's millenary milestone
Summary
An Indian company called Skyroot Aerospace is preparing for its first private rocket launch between July 12 and August 4 from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Center. Meanwhile, NASA successfully launched a mission to boost the orbit of its aging Swift astronomy satellite using a Pegasus rocket, which is making its final flight. The space industry continues to experience launch delays, but companies and agencies are working on new technologies and missions.Key Facts
- Skyroot Aerospace will conduct the first test flight of its Vikram-1 rocket, aiming to send a commercial vehicle into orbit from India.
- The Vikram-1 rocket has four stages with different engines and can carry nearly 500 kilograms into low-Earth orbit.
- Skyroot has raised about $160 million and is valued at over $1 billion.
- NASA’s Swift satellite, launched in 2004, cannot move itself in orbit and risks falling back to Earth this year.
- The Swift satellite’s orbit was boosted by Katalyst Space Technologies using a Pegasus XL rocket dropped from a plane.
- This was the last planned launch of the Pegasus rocket, which was popular in the 1990s and 2000s but has since been replaced by newer commercial rockets.
- NASA provided rocket engines for Europe’s Rosalind Franklin mission to Mars.
- Many space launches planned for 2024 have been postponed to 2025, showing common delays in the space industry.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
