rocket propulsion
-
Next-Generation Spaceplanes Are the Cutting-Edge Evolution of the Space Shuttle Dream
In recent years, we have seen a return of the spaceplane design.
-
This ‘Self-Eating’ Rocket Consumes Its Own Body for Fuel
A new rocket is designed for its own destruction, eating itself as it makes its way through Earth’s atmosphere to power its journey. A group of researchers from the University of Glasgow has built the first unsupported autophage rocket engine, which uses waste heat from combustion to melt its plastic fuselage and use it as…
-
It Was a Rough Week for Rockets
It was an unfortunate week for the rocket industry, with three distinct setbacks occurring and challenging the plans of three different aerospace companies across the globe. U.S.-based Rocket Lab, private Chinese launch provider Galactic Energy, and Europe’s Arianespace all endured face-palming disappointments this week, with two rockets failing outright and one continually unable to get…
-
Latest Design Tweaks Reshape Rocket Lab’s Upcoming Neutron Rocket
California-based Rocket Lab—the company voted most likely to compete with SpaceX—appears to be tinkering with its Neutron blueprints, as new artwork suggests. Founded in 2006, Peter Beck’s Rocket Lab is emerging as one of the more serious competitors to Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The company’s light-lift Electron rocket is currently performing routine flights to low Earth…