Enlarge / As the space world watched Russia threaten to withhold Soyuz launches, SpaceX causally sent its ninth rocket of 2022 into orbit on Thursday, another batch of Starlink satellites. (credit: Trevor Mahlmann / Ars Technica)
Welcome to Edition 4.34 of the Rocket Report! There is a famous quote said by Vladimir Lenin, of all people, that goes, “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” This has been a week in spaceflight where a decade has happened with the separation of the Russian space program from the West.
The full ramifications of the Western sanctions and Russia’s reaction has yet to be told. But the effects on spaceflight in general (and launch in particular) will be profound. It is certainly a story I’ll be covering in the months and years to come.
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.
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