INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
It's easy to be skeptical about this project, but it has attracted an interesting group of people
As part of the agreement with Aspire Space, LEAP 71 will use a proprietary software program called Noyron to design the entire propulsion
stack for Aspire's rockets
The company says its AI-enabled design approach for Aspire's 450,000-pound-thrust engine will cut in half the time it took other rocket
companies to begin test-firing a new engine of similar size
Rudenko forecasts Aspire's entire project, including a launcher, reusable spacecraft, and ground infrastructure to support it all, will cost
So far, the project is self-funded, Rudenko told Payload
(submitted by Lin Kayser)Russia launches ISS resupply freighter
A Russian Progress supply ship launched July 3 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket, NASASpaceflight reports
Packed with 5,787 pounds (2,625 kilograms) of cargo and fuel, the Progress MS-31 spacecraft glided to an automated docking at the
International Space Station two days later
The Russian cosmonauts living aboard the ISS will unpack the supplies carried inside the Progress craft's pressurized compartment
This was the eighth orbital launch of the year by a Russian rocket, continuing a downward trend in launch activity for the Russian space
program in recent years.Celebrating a golden anniversary ..
The Soyuz rocket that launched Progress MS-31 was painted an unusual blue and white scheme, as it was originally intended for a commercial
launch that was likely canceled after Russia's invasion of Ukraine
It also sported a logo commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz mission in July 1975.Chinese rocket moves closer to first
Chinese commercial launch firm Orienspace is aiming for a late 2025 debut of its Gravity-2 rocket following a recent first-stage engine hot
fire test, Space News reports
The "three-in-one" hot fire test verified the performance of the Gravity-2 rocket's first stage engine, servo mechanisms, and valves that
regulate the flow of propellants into the engine, according to a press release from Orienspace
The Gravity-2 rocket's recoverable and reusable first stage will be powered by nine of these kerosene-fueled engines
The recent hot fire test "lays a solid foundation" for future tests leading up to the Gravity-2's inaugural flight.Extra medium ..
Orienspace's first rocket, the solid-fueled Gravity-1, completed its first successful flight last year to place multiple small satellites
Gravity-2 is a much larger vehicle, standing 230 feet (70 meters) tall, the same height as SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket
Orienspace's new rocket will fly in a core-only configuration or with the assistance of two solid rocket boosters
An infographic released by Orienspace in conjunction with the recent engine hot fire test indicates the Gravity-2 rocket will be capable of
hauling up to 21.5 metric tons (47,400 pounds) of cargo into low-Earth orbit, placing its performance near the upper limit of medium-lift
