Is this rocket still active?

[fredinno]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Start-1

Is the Start-1 rocket still active? Its company still has its website running (updated last in 2013)- however, the last launch was in 2006, and its launch complex at Svobodny was closed (however, it can also launch from Pleztek).

[kerbiloid]

It's a converted ICBM Topol, so probably this depends on how often they will be retired..

[Nibb31]

No launch in 10 years, I'd say it's probably dead. It also depends on demand, and there simply isn't much demand for these small launchers, even though a new one seems to pop up every month or two.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Nibb31

[fredinno]

9 hours ago, Nibb31 said:

No launch in 10 years, I'd say it's probably dead. It also depends on demand, and there simply isn't much demand for these small launchers, even though a new one seems to pop up every month or two.

Well, that was before the smallsat/cubesat boom. I'd say that the newest batch will likely be more sucessful, even if that "batch" just ends up being Launcherone, Minotaur, and SPARK (all of which have strong bases in the form of existing infrastrucutre or DOD support.) Firefly seems too ambitious, Pegasus costs an arm and a leg, and Electron is probably too small for much.

[sgt_flyer]

maybe they keep some in storage, just in case they would need to make an emergency small satellite launch while their cosmodromes are not avaible. (as it's mounted on a TEL, they can launch from anywhere with minimal ground support equipment)

[DerekL1963]

On 2/27/2016 at 2:54 AM, Nibb31 said:

No launch in 10 years, I'd say it's probably dead. It also depends on demand, and there simply isn't much demand for these small launchers, even though a new one seems to pop up every month or two.

Back in the day there was a firm (practically religious) belief in the alt.space community that there was a large (and unmet) demand for small launchers.  Nowadays, despite abundant proof of lack of demand, that belief persists.
 

19 hours ago, fredinno said:

Well, that was before the smallsat/cubesat boom.

The smallsat/cubesat "boom" exists because they can hitch a cheap ride on someone else's booster.  (That is, that portion of it that isn't PR hype or overactive imagination.)    Launches where the small/cubesat owner pays the full ticket are rare practically to the point of non existence.   There's pretty much no evidence and little likelihood of this changing.

[fredinno]

8 hours ago, DerekL1963 said:

Back in the day there was a firm (practically religious) belief in the alt.space community that there was a large (and unmet) demand for small launchers.  Nowadays, despite abundant proof of lack of demand, that belief persists.
 

The smallsat/cubesat "boom" exists because they can hitch a cheap ride on someone else's booster.  (That is, that portion of it that isn't PR hype or overactive imagination.)    Launches where the small/cubesat owner pays the full ticket are rare practically to the point of non existence.   There's pretty much no evidence and little likelihood of this changing.

Well, we know there is at least SOME demand for this stuff, much more than it used to. But yeah, it's unlikely theat everyone will succeed, thus why I said Firefly Alpha and Electron might fail due to having no "stone" base to stand on, unlike LauncherOne and SPARK. OneWeb, for example, bought a crap ton of LauncherOne rockets, and they'll likely need more to maintain the constellation. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/launcherone.htm

 

[DerekL1963]

5 hours ago, fredinno said:

Well, we know there is at least SOME demand for this stuff, much more than it used to. But yeah, it's unlikely theat everyone will succeed, thus why I said Firefly Alpha and Electron might fail due to having no "stone" base to stand on, unlike LauncherOne and SPARK. OneWeb, for example, bought a crap ton of LauncherOne rockets, and they'll likely need more to maintain the constellation. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/launcherone.htm

That requires that OneWeb has the money to build the constellation and pay the launch bills when they come do and makes enough money to still be in business when it comes time to maintain the constellation.  That's a lot of chickens yet to hatch.

[Delta_8930]

Most likely. The Russians have switched to Rokot (and Soyuz 2-1v in the future)