India's Vikram-1 Rocket Set for July 18 Debut; AST SpaceMobile Eyes Own Rockets

Indian startup Skyroot Aerospace has set July 18 at 11:30 am local time as the debut launch date for its Vikram-1 rocket. Meanwhile, SpaceX aborted a Starship countdown in South Texas at T-0 after several Raptor engines failed to ignite, with engineers assessing whether repairs can be made at the pad or require destacking. The edition also raises the question of whether satellite firm AST SpaceMobile is moving toward becoming a rocket company.

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Welcome to Edition 9.03 of the Rocket Report! SpaceX counted down all the way to T-0 on Thursday evening in South Texas before a handful of Raptor engines decided not to light at ignition of the rocket. It is not clear whether the vehicle can be worked on at the pad, or whether Starship will need to be de-stacked before this can occur. In any case, a few days delay beats a significant issue in flight.

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.

Vikram-1 rocket gets a launch date . The debut launch attempt by Skyroot Aerospace of its Vikram-1 rocket is now set for July 18, at 11:30 am local time in India. This will be the first time a commercial rocket developed in India attempts to reach orbit. Designed to carry small satellites weighing up to 350 kg to low-Earth orbit, Vikram-1 is targeting a 450 km orbit at a 60-degree inclination.

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India's Vikram-1 Rocket Set for July 18 Debut; AST SpaceMobile Eyes Own Rockets

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