What happened in 2024:
Virgin Galactic:
Virgin Galactic (VG) continued commercial space flights. The flights were Galactic 06 (26.01.2024) and Galatic 07 (08.06.2024). Those were the last flights of the VSS Unity rocket and Unity is now being retired.
VG has opened a new factory in Arizona, where new Delta-class rockets are made. It is planned to make several Delta rockets and they will take off in 2025.
CanSat 2024:
I participated as a field expert in the CanSat2024 competition in Vaasa. I helped the students to pack the payload, i.e. the CanSat satellite, into the Finnish Space Research Society's rockets. It was great to see the enthusiasm of the students and also to watch the flights of the CanSat rockets.
Finnish Space Research Society:
In 2024, I was vice president of the Finnish Space Research Society and was involved in various rocket projects.
What I expect from 2025:
Virgin Galactic:
Virgin Galactic gets the first Delta rockets ready and the first test flights are made into space. VG made a total of 7 commercial flights in 2023 and 2024. My flight number is probably 35, so in 2025 I won't be flying into space yet. My own flight is possible in 2026. In 2025, I could also go to one of the VG meetings. I haven't seen my space friends in a few years.
CanSat 2025:
I will participate in the CanSat 2025 event in the spring in Vaasa. I am now going there for the fourth time with the Finnish Space Research Society. In Vaasa, we shoot CanSat rockets to a height of about 1,000 meters, and CanSats have different measurements as payloads.
In Vaasa I have also plans to shoot my own rockets. If the weather is favorable in Vaasa and there is enough time, I will try to launch 2 of my own rockets. The names of the rockets are Katana and KMX. The Katana is 190 cm long, its body tube diameter is 10 cm and its initial weight is 3 kilos. Katana is supposed to be shot to a height of over 1000 m in Vaasa. KMX is a slightly smaller rocket. I will post pictures and information about the rockets here on the blog in the spring.
Finnish Space Research Society:
I continue to be the vice president of the Finnish Space Research Society and I will be involved in various rocket projects.
Happy new year!
