SpaceX is making its quickest turnaround yet for theStarship rocket, hopefully launching some five weeks afterFlight 5. This mission will have more big milestones for the company while other companies still work towards competing with its olderFalcon 9 rocket.

This weekSpaceX returns with theFAA‘s okay to resume launches, starting withESA‘s Hera mission to the asteroid Didymos. Late-week weather around the Florida Peninsula will, however, likely delay several missions the company has.

About three weeks ago,Virgin Galactic flew its final SpaceShipTwo mission with Galactic 07. Last week, the company completed a reverse stock split to keep its stock price above the $1 exchange limit, however its price continues to drop. So what is the future of the company that has been repeatedly the butt of jokes by financial experts?

Spoiler alert: This is looking to be a very busy week for rocket launches and not a single one is coming from a company outside the US (Rocket Lab is an exception). Starship, Starliner, and Virgin Galactic all have big missions this week.

This weekRocket Lab will reattempt its first launch of 2024 and possiblyVirgin Galactic will fly Friday on one of its final missions before it goes quiet. ForSpaceX however, this month has been far below its 13 launches a month goal, although this year’s start looks to be stronger than last year’s.

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• Astra

Space Explored Podcast 69: Astra is at an inflection point

Seth KurkowskiNov 21 2023 - 8:20 am PT

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This week Seth and Jared discuss (the now past) flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, Virgin Galactic layoffs. But the main topic this week is Astra, which is in trouble again, as they try to secure are financing.

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Virgin Galactic announced this week it laid off about 185 employees, 18% of its workforce, to better streamline the development of its Delta-class spaceplane. The company also announced during its earnings call that it will begin to slow its flights down before pausing them all together.

• Space Tourism
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• VSS Unity
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How many flights has Virgin Galactic flown in 2023?

Seth KurkowskiNov 3 2023 - 9:10 am PT

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In June of 2023 Virgin Galactic began commercial flights of its VSS Unity spaceplane for paying customers. Its ticket holders wait list to fly is over 800 long, with only four available seats, that’s a lot of flying just to get through existing customers and more are on the way. So how many flights has Virgin Galactic performed? Here’s a list of every flight from Virgin Galactic in the year 2023.

This week Virgin Galactic is returning for its six flight within six months. Galactic 5 will be one of many launches happening this week, two others from China and possibly three from SpaceX.

On November 2, Virgin Galactic plans to fly its next sub-orbital spaceflight on is SpaceShipTwo spaceplane platform. This mission, like Galactic 01, is a research flight rather than a joy ride for the ultra-wealthy.

Virgin Galactic’sGalactic 03 mission was different from its previous missions in a number of ways. One of those additions was the carrying on of fossilized bones of ancient human ancestors by one of the participants. This act has raised some questions by scientist in the field.

Friday Virgin Galactic launched its latest commercial missions out of New Mexico. However this time there was no fanfare, livestream, or post launch interviews with the customers. They simply went up, had fun, and came back down.

A slow week at least here in the US when it comes to spaceflight activities but we do have an exciting moment Friday. With Virgin Galactic planning its third flight the end of this week, they are trying to keep their momentum going with a truly incredible launch rate.

Last Thursday, Virgin Galactic successfully launched its first group of commercial customers into space aboard its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane, named VSS Unity. This achievement occurred approximately one month afterits previous flight. With Virgin Galactic now a significant player in the field, the question arises: Can they outpace Blue Origin in the realm of space tourism?

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• Blue Origin
• ULA
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• Axiom Space
• ISRO

Space Explored Podcast 67: Are ULA and Blue Origin in trouble?

Seth KurkowskiJul 26 2023 - 8:00 am PT

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This week Seth and Jared discuss the various issues that have plagued Blue Origin and ULA over recent weeks and other top stories.

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• ESA
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• Arianespace

Space Explored Podcast 66: What happens to Europe now the Ariane 5 is gone?

Seth KurkowskiJul 11 2023 - 9:27 am PT

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This week Seth and Austin DeSisto discuss the week’s top stories and then dive into the main topic concerning Europe. With the retirement of the Ariane 5 and a lack of any other operational launcher, what does the future look like for European spaceflight?

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Space Explored Podcast 65: Can SpaceX still hit 100 launches in 2023?

Seth KurkowskiJul 3 2023 - 11:47 am PT

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This week Seth is joined by Space Explored and Everyday Astronaut contributor Austin DeSisto to discuss this week’s latest news. The big topic for this week is whether or not SpaceX can reach its big 100-launch goal by the end of 2023.

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On Thursday morning, Virgin Galactic successfully completed its inaugural commercial flight with a crew consisting of four passengers and two pilots. This flight distinguished itself from previous ventures by bothBlue Origin and Virgin, as it focused solely on business rather than leisure.

This is a significant week for Virgin Galactic as it completes its first commercial flight for its VSS Unity spaceplane. However, that is not the only launch taking place this week. As expected, SpaceX will also make an appearance.

This week Seth and Jared discussed the milestone launch of SpaceX’s 200th consecutive Falcon 9 rocket without a failure. The big question is, will there ever be another failed launch from SpaceX?

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Yesterday we saw Virgin Galactic complete a final test flight of its whole spaceplane system with the Unity 25 flight. Now, two years after the last “final test flight,” the company is ready to begin commercial flights. Why has it taken so long?