Europe’s Themis reusable-rocket demonstrator may not complete its first flight in 2026 after delays and the onset of winter in Sweden. Meanwhile, Cowboy Space has revealed plans for its large methane-fueled Big Iron launcher, and Stoke Space has secured a conditional commitment for a $150 million loan to build a second launch pad in Florida.
Themis faces another delay
Geraldine Naja, head of the European Space Agency’s Space Transport Bureau, said on October 22 that it remains uncertain whether ESA will be able to complete the first flight of its Themis reusable rocket demonstrator by the end of the year, according to an European Spaceflight report.
The single-stage rocket hopper has completed two countdown rehearsals at Sweden’s Esrange Space Center. However, the harsh Scandinavian winter could prevent Themis from flying before the end of 2026.
ESA Director-General Josef Aschbacher said in January that Themis’s first hop test would take place in the first quarter of 2026. The program has already experienced several delays: officials originally expected the rocket to conduct its first low-altitude hop test in 2022.
Themis is powered by the reusable, methane-fueled Prometheus engine. ArianeGroup, which supports Europe’s Ariane rocket family, is the prime contractor. The project is intended to test technologies for an eventual reusable replacement for the expendable Ariane 6.
Cowboy Space reveals Big Iron plans
Cowboy Space announced on Monday the first details of a launcher it plans to fly by the end of 2028, according to Aviation Week and Space Technology.
Called Big Iron, the rocket will stand 282 feet (86 meters) tall and measure approximately 15 feet (4.7 meters) in diameter. Cowboy Space is developing a methane-fueled engine named Clydesdale. Nine Clydesdale engines will power the first stage, while a single engine will propel the second stage. Big Iron is designed to carry up to 18 metric tons (39,700 pounds) to low Earth orbit.
Robinhood co-founder and billionaire Baiju Bhatt founded the company, originally called Aetherflux, in 2024. He rebranded it as Cowboy Space earlier this year. Bhatt is pursuing the space-based artificial intelligence market led by SpaceX.
After reaching orbit, Big Iron’s upper stage is planned to become the core of Cowboy Space’s data-center spacecraft. The spacecraft is expected to include five GPU racks, six intersatellite laser links, and a solar array measuring one and a half football fields in length.
Stoke Space lines up funding for a second launch pad
The Defense Department’s Strategic Capital Office announced Monday a conditional commitment to provide Stoke Space with a $150 million loan for construction of a second launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to GeekWire.
Stoke Space is already well into construction of its first launch pad at Cape Canaveral for the company’s reusable medium-lift Nova rocket. The second pad would support upgraded Nova Block 2 vehicles designed to carry heavier payloads.
Source: arstechnica.com
