Each Electron is made using carbon composite instead of metal due to its strength and low mass, which gives the rocket, according to the website, “a dry mass equal to less than a Mini Cooper.” The Electron rocket program began in 2013, and has produced a design dedicated for bringing small satellites to low-Earth orbit (LEO) as inexpensively as possible – about $4.9 million per mission, a fraction of the current average launch price. SpaceFlight Insider had the opportunity to speak with Peter Beck, the company’s CEO and founder, about Electron launches and about the company itself. ![]() “As a result, Rocket Lab is moving forward with marine operations as the primary method of recovering Electron for re-flight.High-frequency, low-cost launches is the goal of Rocket Lab, a small aerospace company that suddenly gained attention after announcing the details of its Rutherford engine, named for the New Zealand-born British physicist Ernest Rutherford, at this year’s Space Symposium. “Extensive analysis of returned stages shows that Electron withstands an ocean splashdown and engineers expect future complete stages to pass qualification and acceptance testing for re-flight with minimal refurbishment,” the company said in the statement. In the announcement about the engine reuse, Rocket Lab said that Electron withstands ocean splashdown well. Rocket Lab gave the green light to launch a pre-flown Rutherford engine in April, the first time one of the company’s Rutherford engines will see space twice. The company has recovered the stage from the ocean during several previous missions. ![]() During the second attempt, one of the helicopter pilots called off the catch due to a momentary loss of telemetry data from the booster. The company has attempted the helicopter method twice, with the first attempt ending in a partial success (the helicopter grabbed hold of the booster, but released it immediately). The latter is about as challenging as it sounds. Rocket Lab has developed in parallel two separate techniques to recover Electron boosters: marine recovery, as outlined above, and catching the booster midair using a specialized helicopter. The booster will then be transported back to the company’s production complex for analysis and - hopefully - refurbishment for future flights. The mission for NASA, dubbed Starling, will test “swarm” satellite technologies, including autonomous maneuvering and onboard relative navigation between spacecraft.Īfter launch, Rocket Lab will attempt what it calls a “marine recovery” of the Electron booster, using a parachute to enable a controlled splashdown of the stage in the ocean and fishing it out with a customized vessel. As part of the mission, the Electron rocket will carry several customer payloads to space, include a 4 CubeSat mission for NASA two radio frequency satellites for Spire Global and a demonstration satellite for Space Flight Laboratory. ![]() The launch window opens no earlier than July 14. The mission, called “Baby Come Back,” will take off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. Rocket Lab’s next Electron mission will include another marine recovery attempt of the rocket’s booster, the latest step by the company to advance its reusability program.
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