Moonshot #36

ULA’s Vulcan has a flawed but fine second test flight, Starlink takes the airline market by storm, and one startup pulls inspiration from a t-shirt cannon with its disruptive “space gun” launch method

Hello Continuum readers and Celestial Citizens,

Welcome back to Moonshot where we will give a bi-weekly rundown of all the private sector space news. If you haven’t already, consider becoming a paid subscriber ($6/month) so you can get past that pesky paywall and read the full Moonshot post!

The Vulcan rocket took off from Cape Canaveral on October 4th, completing a (mostly successful) second test flight. Credit: ULA

ULA – The recent inconsistencies with SpaceX’s trusty Falcon 9 rocket are a reminder that we can’t put all of our eggs in one, Musk-shaped basket. ULA’s Vulcan, a rocket that has succeeded the Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicles, hopes to become a go-to vehicle for US military and NASA science missions. During its second demonstration on October 4th, the Vulcan rocket soared to orbit, although it experienced an anomaly with one of its strap-on boosters. The vehicle’s relative success could be enough for the agencies eyeing it for future missions, with the US Space Force looking to certify the vehicle for a satellite launch mission as early as the end of this year. 

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This edition of Moonshot is brought to you by the Space Resources program at the Colorado School of Mines.

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Avio – Speaking of launch vehicle up-and-comers, Italian firm Avio has made progress on the European Space Agency’s Vega-C rocket, recently test firing its redesigned Zefiro-40 solid rocket motor. With the demonstration, which is the second firing of the Zefiro-40, Avio has effectively qualified the new engine nozzle design, setting Europe’s newest sovereign rocket on a path to be launched by the end of 2024. 

Blue Origin – Another company testing its rocket technology is Blue Origin, which attempted to launch its new-and-improved New Shepard crew capsule today. While the uncrewed demonstration mission, dubbed NS-27, was scheduled to take off this afternoon from Blue Origin’s West Texas site, a series of holds ultimately led to a scrub. This was the first attempt to launch a newly built crew capsule, called the RSS Kármán Line, so it makes sense that the firm is being cautious on its debut. In addition to testing the capsule’s performance, the mission also intends to deliver two LIDAR sensors to orbit, that data from which Blue Origin plans to use for its future lunar landers. The mission will also deliver more wholesome payloads, such as a series of student-made postcards.

Air France – At the end of September, Air France announced that it would be rolling out Starlink on its fleet of aircrafts, touting the provider as the “world leader in connectivity.” The move follows a similar announcement from United from earlier in September. Air France is also claiming that its Starlink-equipped planes will offer a “ground-like” experience, free of charge to anyone in the airline’s loyalty program. Let’s just hope the “ground-like” experience they’re talking about here is in reference to connectivity – not the trajectory of the plane. 

Gogo – Seeing the writing on the wall (or maybe, in the stars), inflight connectivity longtimer Gogo is acquiring competitor Satcom Direct, in an effort to stand up against the rising Starlink. The acquisition cost Gogo a pretty penny, at $375 million in cash and five million shares. Over the course of the next four years, Satcom Direct could stand to reap up to $225 million more from Gogo, should the company hit designated performance targets. Of course, all of this is subject to regulatory approvals, but approvals the companies are likely to get – now more than ever, considering the context.  According to investment analyst Louie DiPalma, even just one year ago, antitrust regulators may not have given the green light to the two competitors – who connect nearly 90% of the market – joining forces. However, things are different in today’s Starlink-colored landscape, making this a pretty “nifty transaction,” in DiPalma’s words. 

Like Superman soaring through the sky, Starlink satellites are playing the hero in North Carolina this week. Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX – Clearly, Starlink is having its Rocky Balboa training montage moment. Or, from competing connectivity providers’ perspective, maybe it’s in its villain era? However you feel about it, Starlink is on the rise, passing four million users at the end of last month, as announced by SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell. That means the satellite internet provider gained one million subscribers since the end of May, marking a significant uptick in growth rate. Plus, considering the latest airline adopters, that growth is bound to continue exponentially. But although SpaceX might be the cat-stroking, thrown-sitting villain in Gogo’s story, the satellite firm is determined to play the hero, recently providing free service in the Southeastern United States where Hurricane Helene wiped out fiber optic lines, effectively creating blackout zones for not only residents but emergency relief workers. The FCC even granted temporary clearance to SpaceX for Starlink’s direct-to-cell service in North Carolina, where T-Mobile users can theoretically use satellite connection to text. This is all unarguably a good thing; we’re just hoping it won’t give SpaceX any sort of Starlink-savior complex. 

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This edition of Moonshot is supported by the Open Lunar Foundation. Open Lunar's work sets precedents, creates pathways, and builds projects that enable a peaceful, cooperative lunar presence. Learn more about Open Lunar's work by joining their upcoming events.

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