RocketsNZ

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Rocket Lab in NZ has announced it's launch pad site. First lift off before the end of the year planned.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/n...ectid=11473933

We're going into space.

The way the USA is going we'll probably get Mars colonised first as well.
Kiwi's don't need wings in space ...we're already adapted ... LOL

[rustigsmed (Russell)]

that's awesome news!

[Chif (Andrew)]

How exciting! Good to see that we're getting a bit of action down this way, and it seems like it could potentially be very progressive action at that!

[miker]

[QUOTE=

The way the USA is going we'll probably get Mars colonised first as well.
Kiwi's don't need wings in space ...we're already adapted ... LOL [/QUOTE]

Wow, that will free up Bondi beach!!

[pluto (Hugh)]

Nice, I hope they're successful

However I'm a bit unsure about the business case for this rocket. I work out the price per Kg to LEO is USD$45454 compared to USD$4109 for a Falcon 9 1.1.
I'm not sure how many organisations would be happy to pay 10 times the going rate just to have their spacecraft launched on it's own. Obviously there could be cases where someone needs a payload put into a weird inclination but at 10 times the price it may still be cheaper to piggyback on a SpaceX launch and increase the payload mass to include its own propulsion.

I guess I'd compare it to air freight, if you're trying to send stuff somewhere 'normal' then you'd put it on a 747 with other stuff going to a similar destination. But perhaps there's a market for things that need to be delivered by learjet...?
Also, to continue the private jet analogy a bit further, I suppose it could be useful for people who have lots of money and don't want to fit in with the schedules of the bigger providers...

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Problem with getting your stuff up there with the big boys is waiting for lift capacity to be available. From what I read it's 10x cheaper than using USA or European launch capability, not 10 x dearer.

"The Electron would launch satellites for about $7.3 million, less than a tenth of the cost of other companies."

http://www.rocketlabusa.com/index.html The company has a huge cash input from a big venture organisation in the USA and NASA. Some one thinks it's going to work.

125kg to 400 km sun synchronous orbit.
25kg out to 800 km

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Originally Posted by miker

Wow, that will free up Bondi beach!!

We'll open a Tourist Bureau for Martians and send them back so you won't get lonely ... you like little green men don't you ?

[pluto (Hugh)]

Originally Posted by ZeroID

Problem with getting your stuff up there with the big boys is waiting for lift capacity to be available. From what I read it's 10x cheaper than using USA or European launch capability, not 10 x dearer.

"The Electron would launch satellites for about $7.3 million, less than a tenth of the cost of other companies."

http://www.rocketlabusa.com/index.html The company has a huge cash input from a big venture organisation in the USA and NASA. Some one thinks it's going to work.

125kg to 400 km sun synchronous orbit.
25kg out to 800 km

Where did you get those numbers? their website says 100kg to 500km Sun synchronous.

Yes the entire rocket is 10 times cheaper but it can loft 100 times less.

I see your point about schedule freedom, as I already mentioned, and I certainly see that as it's main selling point. The Wikipedia article on RocketLab suggests the main customer will be the US DoD for quick response launches, in which case the cost is mostly irrelevant.

However, launching a 100kg payload, whenever you want, on the Electron = ~$5 million USD
Launching a 100kg payload with spaceX, whenever it suits them or their primary customer (ignoring inclination difference to SSO) = ~$410,900 USD

Please don't think I'm against new ideas in private spaceflight because I'm not, I'm absolutely rooting for them to succeed. I hope there is a place in the market for small launchers but it's unknown territory. Nobody has made an orbital launcher with such a small payload capacity for over 40 years, and even then they weren't commercial launchers. In that time the trend has been to try and reduce the cost per kg to orbit through economies of scale. This rocket turns that on its head but in return offers customers the option to launch small payloads whenever they want to an orbit of their choosing. It will be interesting to see how that goes, and if it is successful, if others look to offer similar services.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

CubeSats, they are breeding them as we speak.
There is a graph on the website, one of the spec pages that shows the weight\altitude variations possible. The rocket has enough thrust to lift a bus. Not far mind you but it ain't a slouch.
I appreciate what you are saying. I think they see a different market developing with more users wanting access and fast. Fingers crossed for them for sure.

[pluto (Hugh)]

Just reading up on it and I didn't realise there was such a backlog for cubesat launches. I suppose that means there's an opportunity but, as the whole point of cubesats is to be cheap, cost still has to be an issue.

Launch cost for a 1U cubesat as part of a secondary payload on an existing launcher is about USD$100k.
Assuming that 10% of the 100kg payload mass is used by the actual cubesat release equipment, a 1U cubesat launch on an Electron will cost about USD$833k.

Good on them for spotting an opportunity, I guess when demand outstrips supply people are willing to pay anything

[SadisticSarz (Sara Freeman)]

I like the idea, however New Zealand sees more cloudy days than lets say Australia. so launching may not be that often unless they have found away to shoot them up on cloudy days

[pluto (Hugh)]

Originally Posted by SadisticSarz

I like the idea, however New Zealand sees more cloudy days than lets say Australia. so launching may not be that often unless they have found away to shoot them up on cloudy days

I don't think clouds are a problem, the Russians launch in just about any weather. Also weather is more of a concern for manned launches where the weather downrange needs to be good for recovery in case of abort.

[DarkArts]

Originally Posted by ZeroID

... you like little green men don't you ?

No, but I'm kinda partial to little green women.

[LewisM]

"New Zealand firm Rocket Lab plans to launch its battery powered rockets from Birdlings Flat in Canterbury."

That's a LOT of AAA's

[LewisM]

Now on a serious note - launch site 44km from Christalmightyitscold...err, Christchurch? That seems dangerously close for the local populace.

I guess though considering 90% of NZ's population live and work HERE, they are relatively safe.

[SadisticSarz (Sara Freeman)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Now on a serious note - launch site 44km from Christalmightyitscold...err, Christchurch? That seems dangerously close for the local populace.

I guess though considering 90% of NZ's population live and work HERE, they are relatively safe.

That is very true Lewis as you say 90% O.o of New Zealanders work here.......which leaves 90% of Aussies working in New Zealand.....who knows right. I thought launching close to populated areas wouldnt be allowed but maybe im wrong.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Clouds ? What clouds ..?
Birdling Flat is over the Akaroa Hills SE of Christchurch, well away from any population. It's a long sand isthmus fronting a salt marsh lake, Florida and Kennedy Launch in miniature. East coast actually does pretty good for weather, all the wet stuff you guys send over hits the west coast and dumps the rain there.
So only 10% of Aussies work in Australia then .....
What do the rest do ? Must be the kiwis keeping the economy going over there ..

Batteries .. of course, we're carbon friendly over here unlike some places I won't mention. Actually a cunningly simple system, light weight and reliable fuel pumps. Many of the USA fails (and Russian as well) have been pump system failures. The multiple motor system means they can lose two chambers and still make orbit.
There's quite a lot of info on the website if you hunt around. I've been following their progress for about 5-6 years and they have done some amazing stuff already. Ablative coatings, thixotropic solid fuels that act as liquids, electronic packages, 3D printing of engine components ( look closely at the combustion chamber surface ).

[SteveInNZ]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Now on a serious note - launch site 44km from Christalmightyitscold...err, Christchurch? That seems dangerously close for the local populace.

I don't think the folks in Titusville, FL would agree with you.

Steve.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Originally Posted by SteveInNZ

I don't think the folks in Titusville, FL would agree with you.

Steve.

Yeah. Front seat viewing for them, probably charge the tourists.

Anyway, they are launching eastwards over the sea, the rocket is only about 20 meters long, and if, just IF it went catastrophic, a big bang, the explosive radius is less than 500 meters and mostly carbon fibre body shell. Spectacular but basically harmless.
They obviously don't see too much danger. If you look at the launch pad layout the launch building is pretty close to the pad, couple of 100 meters maybe.

C'mon guys, lets get this thing off the ground !! I want 'NASA Style' live video feed on this. Too cool !!

[LewisM]

Yeah, but it's Kiwi engineering - meant to go East... MEANT TO. (seriously though, when things like gimbles go wrong, it doesn't matter which way it was MEANT to go, it will go where it wants to go)

It's probably Kiwi intercontinental ballistic missiles aimed at us.