Latest news with #WallopsIsland
Gizmodo
6 days ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
Rocket Lab Has Some Genuine Competition for SpaceX, but It Can't Reach the Launchpad
California-based startup Rocket Lab is looking to compete with industry leader SpaceX with its upcoming launch vehicle, Neutron. But before it can debut its reusable rocket later this year, the company has to figure out a way to transport Neutron's components to the southern tip of Wallops Island in Virginia. Rocket Lab is awaiting approval to dredge a permanent channel to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, a spaceport surrounded by shallow waters and scarce infrastructure, TechCrunch reported. The company is racing to meet its deadline for Neutron's inaugural liftoff in September, but the rocket still needs to go through final preparations on its launchpad before it can launch, and it has to make it onto the island first. Stuck in the mud, Rocket Lab is contemplating an old-timey sailing technique known as kedging. The Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority operates MARS, a commercial launch site, in partnership with NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The site represents an ideal alternative to Cape Canaveral in Florida, which is experiencing increased congestion due to the steadily rising number of rocket launches. Rocket Lab began constructing its second launch site, called Launch Complex-2, for its Electron rocket in 2019, which has so far carried out four missions from its Virginia launchpad. In 2023, Rocket Lab began construction of a new launch site for its Neutron rocket, Launch Complex 3. Rocket Lab has already spent millions on Launch Complex 3, and it plans on spending another $5 million or so to dredge Sloop Gut, a channel in Accomack County, Virginia, that serves as a navigation route on Wallops Island. The company wants to remove sediment from the channel and dredge around 5,300 feet (1,615 meters), deepening it to 7 feet (2 meters) below the water to accommodate large barges carrying its rocket components to the island. Its request was approved by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission in May, but the company is still waiting for the green light from the Army Corps of Engineers, according to TechCrunch. In the meantime, Rocket Lab is asking federal regulators for permission to use a technique called kedging, which involves using a series of anchors to haul a ship across shallow water. The company hopes the method will help transport Neutron's rocket parts in time for a launch this year. In case its request isn't approved in time, Rocket Lab suggests it can use ramps and cranes to transport Neutron's hardware across the waters or use a boat ramp. The clock is ticking for Rocket Lab to launch its Neutron rocket on time, a medium-lift launch vehicle capable of launching 13 metric tons to low Earth orbit. Neutron is Rocket Lab's answer to SpaceX's Falcon 9 (which can launch up to 22 metric tons to low Earth orbit), hoping to provide the industry with an alternative to sending satellites to space.
TechCrunch
22-07-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Rocket Lab's first hurdle to flying its new rocket is getting it to the pad
Rocket Lab has asked regulators for permission to transport oversized Neutron rocket structures through shallow waters to a spaceport off the coast of Virginia as it races to meet a September delivery deadline. The request, which was made in July, is a temporary stop gap while the company awaits federal clearance to dredge a permanent channel to the Wallops Island site. Rocket Lab plans to launch its Neutron medium-lift rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Virginia, a lower-traffic spaceport that's surrounded by shallow channels and waterways. The company currently launches its Electron small rocket from this location. Rocket Lab has a sizable checklist to tick-off before Neutron can make its orbital debut, like mating the rocket stages, performing a 'wet dress' rehearsal, and getting its launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration. Before any of that can happen, the rocket hardware needs to make it onto the island. Rocket Lab submitted an application for the dredging project to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission in March. In its application, the company touted the benefits of MARS, noting other launch facilities in Florida and elsewhere are highly congested, which could limit launch cadence. MARS, in contrast, 'will allow both frequent launch cadence and the return-to-Earth capability of recovering boosters,' Rocket Lab said at the time. Despite that upside, MARS is constrained in a crucial way: existing maritime infrastructure is limited, and access to the channel – called Sloop Gut – depends on favorable tides. As Rocket Lab and its co-applicant, Virginia Port Authority, notes in its request, 'there is no permanent existing means of providing safe and reliable access for large infrastructure deliveries to Wallops Island.' (Electron is substantially smaller and delivered via road.) 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The company is planning to spend more than $5 million to dredge the roughly mile-long Sloop Gut, so barges can perform regular deliveries of large Neutron rocket components. Rocket lab's plans to dredge sloop gut The dredging project was approved by VMRC in May, but the company has yet to start digging because it's still awaiting federal sign-off from the Army Corps of Engineers. As the company waits for federal approval, Rocket Lab and VPA are seeking permission to use a temporary method called 'kedging' to ensure the first five hardware deliveries can arrive on schedule starting in September. The company has said it plans to launch Neutron's maiden test mission in the second half of 2025. But the dredging application and Rocket Lab's separate kedging request suggest that it's not hardware delays, but maritime access that could be a bottleneck for the first launch. Kedging, a little-known nautical method, is used to ensure the barges can safely navigate the existing shallow channel. Workers would use a series of anchors and lines to steer the barge through the shallow waters. The company is seeking permission to use this method through the end of June 2026 or until the dredging work is complete, whichever comes first. It's unclear how long the dredging project will take. In the case that the kedging request is not approved in a timely manner, Rocket Lab said in its application that it would be able to transport structures over the beach using ramps and cranes. The company received permission for up to three beach barge landing test events – but these cannot take place between March 15 and August 31, so it is far from a long-term solution. In the dredging application, the company detailed several other alternative methods to get hardware on the island, like transporting it by road or public boat ramp. However, these methods were ultimately deemed infeasible for reasons such as cost, infrastructure limitations, and the weather. Rocket Lab did not respond to TechCrunch's request for comment. Both filings highlight the importance of maritime access for Rocket Lab's Virginia ambitions. The sooner the company can start dropping kedge anchors in time to receive the hardware shipments, the sooner it can start knocking off the rest of its pre-flight checklist.
CTV News
22-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Northrop Grumman lifts 2025 profit forecast on strong demand for weapons
Northrop Grumman's Antares rocket lifts off the launch pad at the NASA Test Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) Northrop Grumman raised its annual profit forecast and topped Wall Street estimates for second-quarter revenue on Tuesday, aided by sustained demand for its military aircraft and defense systems as geopolitical tensions simmer. Shares of the company rose about three per cent in premarket trading. A protracted Russia and Ukraine war and conflict in the Middle East have boosted demand for weapons from defense contractors such as Northrop. The company, which makes the B-2 Spirit stealth bombers that were used in U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in June, is also expected to benefit from President Donald Trump's defense budget for next year that seeks more missiles and drones. Northrop had cut its 2025 profit forecast in April to between US$24.95 per share and $25.35 per share after manufacturing costs spiraled in an attempt to ramp production of its B-21 stealth bombers, causing a $477 million hit. It now expects annual profit per share of $25.00 to $25.40 Northrop, however, narrowed its revenue forecast for the year to between $42.05 billion and $42.25 billion, compared with $42 billion to $42.5 billion earlier. Despite the strong demand, supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic linger, affecting production in industries including defense. The defense contractor's second-quarter sales rose to $10.35 billion, compared with analysts' average estimate of $10.07 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. It reported a quarterly net income of $1.17 billion, or a per-share profit of $8.15, compared with the $940 million, or $6.36 per share, a year ago. (Reporting by Utkarsh Shetti in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)
CNA
29-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Northrop Grumman invests $50 million in space startup Firefly Aerospace
U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman has invested $50 million into space startup Firefly Aerospace to aid the production of their jointly developed rocket, the companies said on Thursday. The medium launch vehicle, dubbed "Eclipse", is built upon Northrop Grumman's Antares and Firefly's Alpha rocket, and is set to first launch from Wallops Island, Virginia, as early as 2026. Eclipse is designed to support space station resupply, commercial spacecraft, critical national security missions and scientific payloads for domestic and international markets. Northrop's investment comes as interest in space startups heats up under U.S. President Donald Trump's efficiency drive, encouraging more joint projects between big defense contractors and smaller tech firms. Firefly gained prominence in the space race after becoming the second private firm to score a moon landing in a successful first attempt with its uncrewed Blue Ghost spacecraft earlier this year. The Texas-based company was valued at more than $2 billion in November, when it raised $175 million in a late-stage funding round. It makes small- and medium-lift launch vehicles for commercial launches to the earth's orbit.
