Rocket Report: Rocket Lab’s next step in reuse, Blue Origin engine explodes

Enlarge / File photo of a hotfire test of a Blue Origin BE-4 engine. (credit: Blue Origin)

Welcome to Edition 6.02 of the Rocket Report! I’m on my third week at Ars, and the space beat is as busy as ever. Going forward, Eric and I will alternate work on the Rocket Report every other week. SpaceX broke its own booster reuse record this week, and a Chinese company made history with the first methane-fueled rocket to achieve orbit. Back on Earth, Blue Origin blew up an engine that was supposed to fly on ULA’s second Vulcan rocket.

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.

8am ET update: The list of upcoming launches at the bottom of the Rocket Report has been updated to reflect the successful liftoff of the Chandrayaan-3 mission and delays of the next SpaceX and Rocket Lab missions.