Rocket Report: Clarity on Dragon’s loss, key SLS rocket test to occur

Enlarge / The mighty Delta IV Heavy rocket takes to the skies. (credit: Aurich Lawson/United Launch Alliance)

Welcome to Edition 1.47 of the Rocket Report! This week, we have some news on failures both recent and not-so-recent—this week’s Crew Dragon spacecraft from SpaceX, as well as two Taurus XL launches from eight and 10 years ago. There’s also the usual smattering of news from around the world, including some innovations in China.

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don’t want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Firefly tests Alpha upper stage. For 300 seconds, the rocket’s Lightning-1 engine fired, blowing white and yellow flames out of its exhaust nozzle. The five-minute test demonstrated the performance of the engine and upper stage over an entire cycle of flight in space, during which the upper stage would boost a satellite and insert into orbit, Ars reports.