"The big news in rocketry this week was that NASA still hasn't solved the problem with hydrogen leaks on the Space Launch System. The problem caused months of delays before the first SLS launch in 2022, and the fuel leaks cropped up again Monday during a fueling test on NASA's second SLS rocket. It is a continuing problem, and NASA's sparse SLS launch rate makes every countdown an experiment, as my colleague Eric Berger wrote this week."
"Blue Origin has "paused" its New Shepard program for the next two years, a move that likely signals a permanent end to the suborbital space tourism initiative, Ars reports. The small rocket and capsule have been flying since April 2015 and have combined to make 38 launches, all but one of which were successful, and 36 landings. In its existence, the New Shepard program flew 98 people to space, however briefly, and launched more than 200 scientific and research payloads into the microgravity environment."
Amazon has booked ten additional launches with SpaceX because of a near-term shortage in launch capacity. NASA continues to experience hydrogen leaks on the Space Launch System, which caused months of delays before the 2022 launch and reappeared during a recent fueling test of the second SLS. NASA plans another fueling test after troubleshooting the leaky fueling line, and the Artemis II launch has been postponed until March. Blue Origin has paused New Shepard flights for two years and will redirect people and resources toward accelerating human lunar capabilities and New Glenn. New Shepard completed 38 launches, 36 landings, carried 98 people, and launched over 200 research payloads.
Read at Ars Technica
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