arsTechnica by Eric Berger - 3/31/2023
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/rocket-report-ula-centaur-stage-has-an-anomaly-virgin-orbit-funding-is-dire/"This is why we thoroughly & rigorously exercise every possible condition on the ground."Centaur upper stage has an anomaly. On Wednesday night, United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno said via Twitter that there was an issue with the Vulcan rocket's upper stage during qualification testing at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. "During Qual testing of Centaur V structural article at MSFC, the hardware experienced an anomaly. This is why we thoroughly & rigorously exercise every possible condition on the ground before flight. Investigation is underway. Vulcan will fly when complete."
No one was injured during the accident ... Bruno sought to downplay the significance of the failure to Vulcan's debut flight, which will take place no earlier than May 4. Bruno said the failure occurred at "extreme structural load testing of various worst possible conditions" and added in another tweet that this was "very unlikely" to have implications for the Centaur to be used for Vulcan's debut flight. Even so, ULA is not a company that regularly goes around blowing things up. No matter what, the company will need to spend some time understanding how and why this anomaly happened.
Dream Chaser's ripple effects for Vulcan. In a new report, Ars confirms that Sierra Space's Dream Chaser spacecraft will now launch no earlier than mid-December. The spacecraft was to be the payload for the Vulcan rocket's second certification mission for the Space Force, known as Cert. 2. United Launch Alliance is intent on flying two "certification" missions of Vulcan so it can complete paperwork for the US Space Force and begin launching lucrative missions for the military.
Rocket will be ready when? ... The nominal plan for these certification launches entails flying Astrobotic's lunar lander on the "Cert. 1" mission in May and Dream Chaser on "Cert. 2" in August. However, since Dream Chaser is delayed, it is possible that United Launch Alliance will fly a mass simulator for Vulcan's second mission. However, it is also possible that there will be additional delays in Vulcan's testing and launch preparations and that the vehicle will not be ready for a second flight before the end of this year. It's something to watch for the remainder of 2023, no doubt.
