Countdown has started

[ZeroID]

Rocket Labs has announced a 10 day launch window starting May 22.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11855871


OboyOboyOboyOboy.....!!! :D :D :thumbsup: :)

[glend]

Had not heard of this before Brent. Good luck to NZ, especially the part about rain could delay the launch. 3D printing a rocket engine eh?

[el_draco]

Very cool.... a novel use for 3D printing that's for sure.

[LewisM]

Ye gads, NZ is gonna nuke us!

[ZeroID]

Start digging Lewis, get ya bunker ready...

:lol: :D

[pluto]

Awesome!
Hope it all goes to plan :)

Interesting that it will be the first ever orbital launch from a private launch facility... that's pretty cool!

Some more info here: http://spacenews.com/rocket-lab-sets-date-for-first-electron-launch/
and here: https://twitter.com/RocketLabUSA

[Wavytone]

It says the altitude of an airliner. That's just 10 km. A long way to go to get into orbit. And the choice of site suggests they don't understand much about the dynamics of getting it up there - there is s huge advantage to being near the equator and NZ is hopelessly too far south.

That and the whole approach to testing and launch reads rather amateurish to me - from a serious engineering background. As the Norks have also shown, this is far from trivial to get right.

Most likely it won't get off launch or if it does, will go kerplunk into the ocean rather prematurely.

Hope they have a reliable self-destruct button, they'll need it.

[sil]

People should actually read before posting, its below "amateurish". Nowhere does it say or imply it is aiming to stop or orbit at the cruising airline altitude. Its made quite clear this is a first launch and may not even occur as changes are made and when it does its a FIRST test run. Bloody good on them I say! The aussie "have a go" attitude seems to be replaced with " have a whinge at others for having a go" instead. Not like Australia will bother to get involved in launches or supporting such endeavours.

Can't wait for the immortal words "The Kiwi has landed".

[LewisM]

Yup, don't remember the last rocket launch from Killara, amateurish or otherwise.

I interpreted the article to say it will initially have slow acceleration, but then clear to "airliner cruising height" in under a minute (considering Wavy's 10km is 32,000ft give or take). Article did not mention this was a target height or a limit, merely a marker for the lay-man (like when media use football fields as some standard of size). Even if it goes sub or low orbital, it's better than what Australia's done since Blue Streak...oh, hang on that was the Poms... better since our last HAB.

Shame on Australia, GO THE KIWI!

Anyone remember the Cape York rocket project, that of course never eventuated?

[pluto]

The intended orbit is clearly stated as an having an apoapsis of 500km, a periapsis of 300km, with an inclination of 83 degrees.
This is consistent with their business plan of launching small payloads to a sun-synchronous orbit. Also given that polar or sun-sync orbits are their intended destination, they would gain nothing from being near the equator - in fact for a SSO, which is usually slightly retrograde, an equatorial launch would require more energy than a launch from NZ.

Not sure why the skepticism? Sure rocket engineering is hard, as has been proved repeatedly with every rocket program in history - but the Electron is a good design, the engines have been successfully test fired, and the rocket has completed a full wet rehearsal. Machines like this don't make it off the drawing board without being well scrutinised.

This isn't a bunch of hacks working out of a shed, it's an international company staffed by competent engineers and I don't see any reason why they won't succeed.

[ZeroID]

Their original 'sounding' test rocket launch, launched from Mercury Island up here near Auckland reached 64 km a few years ago.
They are backed by NASA and a couple of very big venture capital groups and are already contracted to Moon Express to deliver one of the attempts by private companies to land a rover on the moon.

Yep, pretty amateurish I guess .... :shrug:

Fingers crossed it all goes well for the first launch ..... :thumbsup:

[sil]

So how far away do you guys think it might be visible (the launch)? Wonder if any aussies on the coast will be able to see/photo the launch? I'm sure someone here has a formula (thrust pounds -> vis mag per km^2 or something. More importantly will it be strapped to a robin reliant?

[sil]

I remember a burning abandoned car when I lived in Montah Ave, Not even a tyre launched into the air from that. Maybe it was a failed test flight? :shrug:

[pluto]

It's launching toward the east (a bit), and I assume over the ocean, so going away from Oz.
They've said the launch won't be visible from any publically accessible areas anyway, though I guess it depends on the colour of the Robin ;)

[ZeroID]

SE I think, seaward for sure. They are on the very end of the Peninsula with zero local population nearby so very safe if anything should go wrong, unlikely.

sil > I think the curvature of the earth might get in the way a bit.

If the air was clear you might just be able to see the trail with binoculars or scope from the NI mainland but you might have to wait for a while.

[LewisM]

Blasphemer - the Earth is flat remember. So, Sil should see it from his home :) :lol:;)

[ZeroID]

But he will need curved binoculars ...:P

I can't blaspheme, I'm a Jedi ..:fight:

[Slawomir]

I totally agree. Will we ever have a space program in Australia? Kiwis already have it...http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/sectors-industries/space/new-zealand-space-agency/about-us

Let's not despair though, there is still one more OECD country (out of 35) that does not have a space program...

[Boozlefoot]

We have the space and area to do it, but we can't even get a train to run on time. Good luck to the kiwi's (they'll shame Kim Il Jong too!)

[ZeroID]

Pic of the Electron hanging on the launch tower ( lowered ).


(btw, no robins were harmed in the manufacture of this rocket )

[pluto]

While we don't really have a space industry now days, let's not forget that Australia was only the third county to launch its own satellite from its own soil (with a donated rocket, granted).
And while we never developed an orbital launcher we have produced some successful sounding rockets :)

[Slawomir]

That's cool, I wasn't aware if that. It would be great to build more on Australia's past achievements, but lack of sufficient funding and other priorities seem to be getting in the way.

[Nebulous]

Perhaps the lack of a space program is just part of the "She'll be right, mate" culture? After all, we all know that we live in the best country on the best planet, in the best era in history.... so why be arsed to make all the effort to look anywhere else... :question::D