Welcome to Edition 8.39 of the Rocket Report. This week’s roundup covers major developments in heavy-lift rockets, including SpaceX’s Starship, Russia’s Soyuz-5 debut, and the Pentagon’s Golden Dome initiative.
Starship Prepares for Next Test Flight
The largest operational rocket in development, Starship, had a relatively quiet week as SpaceX targets a May launch for its next test flight. The outcome of this flight, along with Blue Origin’s upcoming attempt to land its Blue Moon cargo lander on the Moon, will provide critical insights into NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028.
Russia’s Soyuz-5 Rocket Finally Debuts
Russia has successfully debuted its Soyuz-5 rocket, marking a significant milestone in its space program. The medium-lift rocket is expected to play a key role in future missions, including potential crewed and cargo flights.
Pentagon Names 12 Companies for Space-Based Interceptor Development
On April 24, the US Space Force released a list of 12 companies developing Space-Based Interceptors (SBIs) under the Pentagon’s Golden Dome initiative. This multilayer defense system aims to protect US territory from drone, ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missile threats.
The roster of contractors includes:
- Anduril Industries
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- General Dynamics Mission Systems
- GITAI USA
- Lockheed Martin
- Northrop Grumman
- Quindar
- Raytheon
- Sci-Tec
- SpaceX
- True Anomaly
- Turion Space
The companies will collaborate on developing and delivering SBI prototypes for testing, with contracts totaling up to $3.2 billion. Full-scale production contracts will follow, with significantly higher costs.
We welcome reader submissions for future editions. To stay updated, subscribe using the form below (note: the form does not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report covers small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets, along with a preview of the next three launches on the calendar.
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