Starship not a threat to Ariane 6, ESA manager says. Toni Tolker-Nielsen, who oversees rocket development at the European Space Agency, isn't particularly worried about competition from SpaceX's giant Starship rocket, Ars reports. In an interview with Space News, Tolker-Nielsen said Starship won't eradicate Europe's Ariane 6 rocket, which is finally set to debut next month after years of delays. "Honestly, I don’t think Starship will be a game-changer or a real competitor," he said. "This huge launcher is designed to fly people to the Moon and Mars. Ariane 6 is perfect for the job if you need to launch a four- or five-ton satellite." Ariane 6, of course, is entirely expendable, and Tolker-Nielsen defended the decision not to pursue reusability with Europe's new flagship rocket by saying it won't fly often enough to make investing in recovery and reuse worthwhile. "Our launch needs are so low that it wouldn't make sense economically," he said. On its face, this seems like a defeatist attitude.
Will they ever learn? ... European space officials are starting to say publicly what has been known for years: Ariane 6 will not compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 or Starship in any sustained or meaningful way, according to Space Intel Report. This is a far cry from the commanding position Europe's launch industry found itself in 10 to 20 years ago. In 2013, an official from the French launch service provider Arianespace famously dismissed SpaceX's ambition to field a reusable rocket and launch 100 times per year as a dream. Well, the dream is alive. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
SpaceX sets new reuse records. Continuing the theme of rocket reusability, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Thursday from Cape Canaveral with a first-stage booster making its 22nd trip to space, a new record, Spaceflight Now reports. This booster, designated B1062, has been active in SpaceX's rocket fleet since November 2020. Thursday's launch delivered 23 more Starlink Internet satellites into orbit, and the first stage returned to land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX also recently flew a Falcon 9 mission with a payload fairing shell that made its 20th launch, also a record for fairing reuse.
350 ... Thursday's launch was also the 350th flight by a Falcon 9 rocket, and SpaceX's 68th launch of the year overall, including 65 Falcon 9s, two Starships, and one Falcon Heavy. One more Falcon 9 flight is on SpaceX's schedule to close out the first half of the year, and SpaceX aims for an even higher number of flights in the second half of 2024, with the goal of nearly 150 launches for the entire year. Most of these missions will carry satellites into orbit for the Starlink network. (submitted by brianrhurley)
Look out! Video recorded downrange from China's inland Xichang launch site shows a booster from a Long March rocket falling to the ground alarmingly close to a community. The video shows people running in the direction away from the rocket debris. The booster left a trail of toxic gas as it tumbled back to Earth. Unfortunately, this is not all that unusual, and it often happens after rockets take off from Xichang, which is positioned closer to population centers than China's other launch sites. This has been going on for decades, and although China is moving toward new rockets that burn non-toxic propellants, they continue to use inland spaceports, and there's no sign this will stop happening any time soon.
In the name of science ... The Long March 2C that created the debris lifted off with the Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) mission, a joint project by the Chinese and French space agencies. The SVOM astrophysics mission will study gamma-ray bursts—violent electromagnetic explosions that can release as much energy in a few seconds as the Sun will emit over its entire 10-billion-year lifetime, Space News reports. (submitted by Ken the Bin and EllPeaTea)
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