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Rocket Lab Wants To Be The FedEx Of Space
Posted
November 12, 2018
Views
57,592
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1,006
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November 12, 2018
57,592
1,006
94
1.91%
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Rocket Lab's Electron rocket comes at a price tag that's only a fraction of the $50 million or more it costs to launch a larger rocket. How will that revolutionize the industry and expand who will be able to send satellites into space?
Rocket Lab put seven spacecraft in orbit on Saturday with its first commercial launch, as the company grew its lead in the burgeoning small rocket industry.
Delayed from this past spring, the "It's Business Time" launch marks the beginning of Rocket Lab's acceleration toward launching at a weekly rate. The rocket builder reached orbit for the first time in January with its final test launch but saw this commercial attempt delayed due to a "motor control" issue with the rocket.
"Perfect flight," Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said in a tweet after the launch. "Orbital accuracy was exquisite."
Rocket Lab is building small rockets priced at about $5.7 million a launch. The company's Electron rocket is designed to launch spacecraft up to the size of a refrigerator, especially for the premium small satellite part of the rocket market. Small rockets like Electron can save customers months of time getting to orbit but come at a higher cost compared to flying as a "rideshare" on a larger rocket like the SpaceX Falcon 9.
"It's Business Time" launched six satellites for Spire, Tyvak, Fleet and the Irvine CubeSat STEM program. The launch also included a spacecraft built by HPS GmbH to demonstrate a new technology to reduce space debris.
The launch keeps Rocket Lab – valued at more than $1.2 billion and based in New Zealand and California – at the front of the pack in the small rocket race. Beck estimates there are over 100 companies trying to catch up. But Rocket Lab has another launch scheduled for December, as well as 16 launches planned for 2019.
Rocket Lab has a backlog of launches for the next 18 months, Beck said, which is "around a $3 billion pipeline." The factories in New Zealand and California "have been specifically designed to produce one rocket a week," Beck said. Rocket Lab aims to be launching at a weekly rate in 2020.
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This Rocket Unicorn Wants To Be The FedEx Of Space
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