Yep, it’s official. Eagle 5 is going to be retired. After a thorough review of our future plans and launch vehicle capabilities, our team of engineers and officials concluded that Eagle 5 is no longer relevant in today’s launch market, let alone tomorrow’s.
The final Eagle 5 booster was completed yesterday, and the final second stage will be rolled out of the factory this week. Eagle 5 is scheduled to launch for its last time sometime in September of this year. Retiring the Eagle 5 will also result in the retirement of the Eagle Heavy. As of today, Eagle 5 has launched 129 missions, 126 of which were successful. Eagle Heavy has launched a total of 8 missions, all of which were successful. Eagle 5’s legacy will live on in the missions and spacecraft that it launched. Most notably were the 93 launches of our Neuron Internet Satellites, enabling internet connectivity for more than 92% of Earth. Eagle 5 also launched 6 of our high-end EagleEye GPS satellites. Additionally, our Phoenix OT-1 lander launched proudly aboard the Eagle 5.
Many of you are likely wondering, “What’s next?” Well, that’s what we’re exited to show all of you. The future of Orion Technologies will bring the dawn of a new launch vehicle. One larger, more powerful, more capable, more efficient than any commercial launch vehicle ever constructed, and more importantly, anything that we’ve ever built. We call it the Eagle 8. It will have a similar booster to Eagle 5, although significantly larger and more sophisticated. The second stage will boast Starship-like hardware, allowing for ease of reuse, thus creating a true fully-reusable launch vehicle. The architecture set for the Eagle 8 will allow us to turn a booster around in just 8 hours, and a full stack(booster and second stage) in under 15 hours. Additionally, a brand new facility will be built in Texas to launch, integrate, and test our new rocket, and still host Eagle 1 V2 launches. Finally, Eagle 8 will have a heavy variant, sporting 3 boosters and enlarged fairings. By utilizing new technologies and advanced engineering, Eagle 8 will be the next generation launch vehicle, surpassing anything seen yet in the launch market(with the exception of Starship nonetheless). Eagle 8 will also oversee the future launches of Phoenix Landers, Obsidian Logistics Vehicles, Phantom Crew Capsules, Astraeus Space Tugs, EagleEye GPS satellites, and the next generation of Neuron Internet and Intelligence Satellites.
Any questions regarding this topic can be asked in the comments below.