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Rocket Lab planning to becoming biggest launch provider in the world

Author
Daniel Walker,
Publish Date
Mon, 22 Jan 2018, 2:55PM
The company had a successful second launch yesterday. (Photo / Supplied)
The company had a successful second launch yesterday. (Photo / Supplied)

Rocket Lab planning to becoming biggest launch provider in the world

Author
Daniel Walker,
Publish Date
Mon, 22 Jan 2018, 2:55PM

New Zealand's set to become the rocket launch capital of the world.

Kiwi-operating company Rocket Lab is starting commercial flights after successfully launching a test payload into orbit yesterday.

CEO Peter Beck said he wants to ramp up the launch schedule, so they're sending up one rocket every two weeks by 2019. That will be more than the whole United States.

Airways New Zealand Air Traffic General Manager Tim Boyle said they can handle one launch every 10 minutes.

"We can facilitate whatever schedule Rocket Lab really wants to throw at us and if Peter's set that goal of stripping the United States of rocket launches for a year, gosh, we'd love to help support him and see that come to fruition."

Boyle said if a competitor wants to enter the market, there are plenty of other sites across New Zealand that would be good for regular launches.

The company has been inundated with messages from around the world after successfully launching its Electron rocket into orbit.

Chief executive Peter Beck said the day marked a new era in commercial access to space.

"We're thrilled to reach this milestone so quickly after our first test launch," Beck said.

"Our incredibly dedicated and talented team have worked tirelessly to develop, build and launch Electron. I'm immensely proud of what they have achieved today."

There would be a third test launch - into Sun-synchronous orbit of between 300km and 500km above the Earth's surface - before the company could move into commercial missions.

International scientists and organisations were quick to congratulate the company on its success.

George Sowers, former chief scientist and vice-president of United Launch Alliance - a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing - welcomed New Zealand to what he said was a short list of countries with a successful launch system.

"Very nice launch. My heartiest congratulations to the Rocket Lab team."

"After 30 years in the launch industry with hundreds of launches, each one is still a thrill.

"And I must say, the geographic setting of the launchpad is the most scenic in the world. The obvious excitement of the team is evidence of the huge amount of work and perseverance required to get into space."

San Francisco-based satellite company Spire Global, which partners with Rocket Lab said, "Speechless. Just like that, Rocket Lab reaches orbit and sets a new bar for launch by reaching orbit on just their second test. Today is a huge win."

project manager at United Launch Alliance and former director of all NASA launch programmes for Boeing said it was wonderful to see a smooth launch.

"This success should instil confidence in Rocket Lab's customers, starting a busy 2018 launch schedule.

"The industry will be watching Rocket Lab's ability to meet schedule, but this is a milestone for Rocket Lab."

Yesterday's launch followed the company's first launch last May, in which the rocket got to space but did not make it to orbit after range safety officials had to kill the flight.

Rocket Lab earlier said it had pinpointed the problem that meant its first Electron rocket was killed before it got to orbit, with the company saying at the time that it was confident the fault had been ironed out.

Beck said reaching orbit on a second test flight was significant on its own but successfully deploying customer payloads so early in a new rocket programme was almost unprecedented.

"Rocket Lab was founded on the principle of opening access to space to better understand our planet and improve life on it. Today we took a significant step towards that," he said yesterday.

In the coming weeks, Rocket Lab engineers would analyse data from the launch.

Rocket Lab currently has five Electron vehicles in production, with the next launch expected to take place in early 2018. 

Auckland University astrophysicist and senior lecturer Nick Rattenbury said the company's ability to get something into space on the second attempt spoke volumes about its capability and capacity.

"I did not expect to see this in my lifetime. I honestly did not expect to see New Zealand launching a spaceship," he said.

"This is a fantastic time to be alive, working in science and engineering in New Zealand and I'm looking forward to the next three years because it's going to be very, very exciting."

- with content from NZ Herald

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