Well, good to see something actually happening, although, I did get a bit disoriented by the second photo, which seems to be sideways, rather than the right way up. Still, I'm sure the Orbex Engineers will get things the right way up for the test rig.

One question I've wondered about is that in the live fire tests of rocket engines, they do tend to just waste all that energy. Couldn't there be some way of capturing it, it does seem an awful waste.

Maybe you could take along some marshmallows and a (very) long stick to the next test. That's about all that energy is good for.

Basically, I suspect setting up the infrastructure to collect energy from events that happen a few times a year during the development of a rocket engine really isn't worth the effort.

I suspect that the cost of recovering the energy wound be FAR higher than the value of the energy itself.

I noticed the same thing.

A closer look at the metalwork in the image does indeed show that it has been welded. That is, tack-welded. A few spots have been put on it here and there to make sure it doesn't move around or warp while they do the actual proper welding. That'll be going where the edges have been cleaned up to a shiney metal surface.

The tack welds likely won't hold up under the structure's weight, which is why it's currently being stored on it's side. I'm guessing the image is rotated 90 degrees to give the impression that it's actually standing under it's own weight.

t does seem an awful waste.

How do you preserve energy from writing your comments?

I am very conflicted about these plans (Orbex and Skylora)

I _love_ the idea of actual space launch tech coming back to the UK but when SpaceX is really close to plausibly being able to launch a 100 tons or more to the same orbit in a fully re-useable vehicle, what is the point in this?

Is it going to be cost effective per-kg compared to SpaceX? Or can it offer something else that a group small-sat or rideshare can't provide from SpaceX?

It just feels a bit like we are proudly announcing a new fleet of disposable one-way mopeds to carry post from London to Edinburgh at the same time as someone else is building a fully re-useable train...

My thinking is there's the angle of having a home-grown capability, so UK government/industry can spend money with a UK-based organisation for lofting things into space rather than sending money overseas.

Imagine how good that would be....if the UK had its own sovereign capability to launch rockets and satellites into space...once that'd been achieved it'd be something that the government would never throw away and....ah...OK...as you were....

"Indeed, one would have to cast one's mind back more than half century and the glory days of British rocketry for the last time such facilities were set-up locally (helpfully documented by our Geeks Guide series.)"

If we waited for any British government to get something into space that wasn't bought from another country (US), it would likely be a big length of tube hammered into the ground for the stick to go into.

A British launch capability for smaller items would be useful for many projects that don't require the energy output of a small country to get into space.

Or can it offer something else that a group small-sat or rideshare can't provide from SpaceX?

Yes, it can send small groups of satellite in to other orbits faster/cheaper than booking the whole Space-X payload. I think one of Skyrora's selling points is the upper stage can be shut-down and re-ignited several times, allowing you to deploy payloads in different (so some degree) orbits from the same basic launch.

Whether that turns out to be enough of a USP to make the business work remains for the market to decide.

As Microsoft has proved so often there's absolutely no problem with anyone having a monopoly or near monopoly on something.

because putting all your eggs ina basket never ends well:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/30/elon-musk-to-spacex-starships-raptor-engine-crisis-risks-bankruptcy.html

Or can it offer something else that a group small-sat or rideshare can't provide from SpaceX?

Even if it can there are perhaps a dozen other firms all competing for that same small and relatively inelastic market. Most of them are going to fail.

Do you not look at that rocket as if you are Gordon Freeman advancing on your goal?

20 minutes of welding gets a headline article. Come down to my workshop, I'll give you enough similar headlines to last you years!

I welded up a weather vane last Sunday and you know what, I didn't see a single reporter either.

Mind you, it took me a little longer than 20 mins. I'm a shite welder :D

I think Orbex and Skyrora are targeting the polar orbit satellite market, where a Scotland based launch facility would be ideal.

We all agree that testing is a Good Thing.

But it seems a bit odd to build a complete test launch facility somewhere that it can't be used later as a live facility? Why not build the test rigs at the real spaceport and then certify them for use when the tests are complete?

Or are they planning some big, messy 'failures' to see what an exploding booster and fuel tank look like?

Because the launch site is probably in the arse end of nowhere. Somewhere that it's expensive to get people and kit to and there are no local welding companies

It's why SpaceX builds stuff in LA but launches from some 3ed world hell hole

"It's why SpaceX builds stuff in LA but launches from some 3ed world hell hole"

Soooo, Florida?

Worse, Texas

Yay.

NOT!

Me thinks that since we have left the EU, wouldn't be a better use of money to tow the island somewhere closer to equator?

Imagine how much savings we could make on heating and we could be the Saudis of solar energy.

Probably tan salons wouldn't let that happen though...

Since becoming the world's leading exporter of sovereignty once again, all the warm sunny little islands near the equator will be queuing up to come onboard with global Britain.

We can launch from one of those, the only real limit is how many ribbons the Queen can cut/year