Blue Origin Enterprises,L.P.,commonly referred to as Blue Origin,is an American aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider. The company makes rocket engines for United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket and is currently operating its suborbital reusable New Shephard vehicle. Blue Origin is developing its heavy-lift launch vehicle named New Glenn,the Blue Moon human lunar lander for NASA's Artemis program,and Orbital Reef space station in partnership with other companies.
A launch vehicle is typically a rocket-powered vehicle designed to carry a payload from Earth's surface or lower atmosphere to outer space. The most common form is the ballistic missile-shaped multistage rocket,but the term is more general and also encompasses vehicles like the Space Shuttle. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pad,supported by a launch control center and systems such as vehicle assembly and fueling. Launch vehicles are engineered with advanced aerodynamics and technologies,which contribute to high operating costs.
Antares,known during early development as Taurus II,is an American expendable medium-lift launch vehicle developed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation with financial support from NASA under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program awarded in February 2008,alongside the company's automated cargo spacecraft,Cygnus. Like other launch vehicles developed by Orbital,Antares leveraged lower-cost,off-the-shelf parts and designs.
Rocket Lab USA,Inc. is a publicly traded aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider. Its Electron orbital rockets launches small satellites,and has launched 53 times as of 2024. A sub-orbital Electron variant called HASTE serves other needs. The company also supplies satellite components including star trackers,reaction wheels,solar cells and arrays,satellite radios,separation systems,as well as flight and ground software.
LauncherOne was a two-stage orbital launch vehicle developed and flown by Virgin Orbit that had operational flights from 2021 to 2023,after being in development from 2007 to 2020. It was an air-launched rocket,designed to carry smallsat payloads of up to 300 kg (660 lb) into Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO),following air launch from a carrier aircraft at high altitude. The rocket was carried to the upper atmosphere on a modified Boeing 747-400,named Cosmic Girl,and released over ocean. Initial work on the program was done by Virgin Galactic,another Virgin Group subsidiary,before a separate entity —Virgin Orbit —was formed in 2017 to complete development and operate the launch service provider business separately from the passenger-carrying Virgin Galactic business.
Astra Space,Inc.,formerly known as Ventions,LLC from 2005 - 2016,is an American space company based in Alameda,California,with facilities in Sunnyvale,California and Atwater,California. The company was initially an aerospace technology research firm that focused on SBIR contracts,developing small rocket engines for use on launch vehicles and satellite propulsion. In 2012,the company shifted to developing launch vehicles and was selected for the DARPA ALASA program,eventually leading to the development and launch of the Astra Rocket series of launch vehicle utilizing both government and private funding after reincorporating itself to Astra Space,Inc. in 2016. The company would have their first successful launch in 2021,nine years after the start of development,after 6 previous failed attempts.
Firefly Aerospace is an American private aerospace firm based in Cedar Park,Texas,that develops small and medium launch vehicles for commercial launches to orbit. The company completed its $75 million Series A investment round in May 2021,which was led by DADA Holdings. The current company was formed when the assets of the former company Firefly Space Systems were acquired by EOS Launcher in March 2017,which was then renamed Firefly Aerospace. Firefly's stated purpose is to increase access to space,similar to other private spaceflight companies.
Electron is a two-stage,partially reusable orbital launch vehicle developed by Rocket Lab,an American aerospace company with a wholly owned New Zealand subsidiary. Electron services the commercial small satellite launch market. It's the third most launched small-lift launch vehicle in history. Its Rutherford engines are the first electric-pump-fed engine to power an orbital-class rocket. Electron is often flown with a kickstage or Rocket Lab's Photon spacecraft. Although the rocket was designed to be expendable,Rocket Lab has recovered the first stage twice and is working towards the capability of reusing the booster. The Flight 26 (F26) booster has featured the first helicopter catch recovery attempt. Rocket Lab has,however,abandoned the idea of catching Electron.
Vulcan Centaur is a heavy-lift launch vehicle created and operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA). It is a two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle consisting of the Vulcan first stage and the Centaur second stage. It replaces ULA's Atlas V and Delta IV rockets. It is principally designed for the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program,which launches satellites for U.S. intelligence agencies and the Defense Department,but ULA believes it will also be able to price missions low enough to attract commercial launches.
New Glenn is a heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by Blue Origin,named after NASA astronaut John Glenn,the first American astronaut to orbit Earth. New Glenn is a two-stage rocket with a diameter of 7 m (23 ft). Its first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines that are also designed and manufactured by Blue Origin. It is intended to launch from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36,with the first stage landing on a barge called Landing Platform Vessel 1. The inaugural vehicle was unveiled on the launch pad in February 2024.
Firefly Alpha is a two-stage orbital expendable small lift launch vehicle developed by the American company Firefly Aerospace to compete in the commercial small satellite launch market. Alpha is intended to provide launch options for both full vehicle and rideshare customers.
Gilmour Space Technologies is a venture-funded Australian aerospace company that is developing hybrid-propellant rocket engines and associated technologies to support the deployment of a low-cost launch vehicle.
Relativity Space Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturing company headquartered in Long Beach,California. Relativity Space is developing manufacturing technologies,launch vehicles,and rocket engines for commercial orbital launch services. The company is notable for manufacturing most of their Terran 1 and Terran R rocket parts using 3D printing. As of April 2024,Terran R is on track for initial launch in 2026.
Kuiper Systems LLC,also known as Project Kuiper,is a subsidiary of Amazon that was established in 2019 to deploy a large satellite internet constellation to provide low-latency broadband connectivity. The name Kuiper was a company codename for the project inspired by the Kuiper belt.
Skyrora Ltd is a British private space company based in Edinburgh,Scotland,since 2017.
SaxaVord Spaceport,previously known as Shetland Space Centre,is a UK spaceport located on the Lamba Ness peninsula on Unst,the most northerly of the inhabited Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland. The site is near the RAF Saxa Vord radar station and the settlement of Skaw,adjacent to the Saxa Vord distillery.
A floating launch vehicle operations platform is a marine vessel used for launch or landing operations of an orbital launch vehicle by a launch service provider:putting satellites into orbit around Earth or another celestial body,or recovering first-stage boosters from orbital-class flights by making a propulsive landing on the platform.
Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) is a German NewSpace start-up located in Augsburg. It was founded in 2018 with the mission to build rockets just like cars. Its multistage rocket,RFA One,is currently under development. As of November 2023,it had been scheduled to launch during the summer of 2024;however,an anomaly during a first stage static fire test in August 2024 resulted in destruction of the stage,and the launch has been postponed.
The Ursa Major Technologies Hadley is a 22-kilonewton (5,000 lbf) thrust Kerosene/LOX oxidizer-rich staged combustion cycle rocket engine.
The Astra Rocket was a small-lift space launch vehicle series designed,manufactured,and operated by American company Astra. The rockets were designed to be manufactured at minimal cost,employing very simple materials and techniques. They were also designed to be launched by a very small team,and be transported from the factory to the launch pad in standard shipping containers.
