SpaceX wins venture-class launch contract. Well, this is a bit of a surprise. NASA announced this week that it awarded a Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract to SpaceX to launch two Cubesats on a Falcon 9 rocket in 2025. Building on what NASA says is its "previous procurement efforts to foster development of a growing US commercial launch market," VADR provides launch services for payloads that can tolerate higher risk. Plainly speaking: If the rocket goes boom, it's not the end of the world.
Falcon 9, the experimental rocket? ... Recent awards under the VADR program have gone to less advanced launch companies, such as Phantom Space. And it's not like the Falcon 9 requires payloads to tolerate a higher risk, as this booster is arguably now the most reliable and proven rocket in the world. While SpaceX is one of 13 companies NASA selected for VADR contracts in 2022, there may be a bit more to this story. I'll try to find out. Feel free to reach out if you know. Anyway, if you're the principal investigator for one of these Cubesat missions you've got to feel like you hit the lottery here. (submitted by Ken the Bin)
Full-size engine bells also barely light up at the top, so it might be the same material but shorter.