Rocket Lab eyes Birdling's Flat, Canterbury, as launch site (New Zealand)

[kiwi1960]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/69859442/rocket-lab-eyes-birdlings-flat-canterbury-as-launch-site

(the link gives you a video)

A remote Canterbury paddock could launch New Zealand into the space race.

A paddock near Birdlings Flat has been chosen by Auckland-based company, Rocket Lab as its preferred launch site for a rocket that can carry a satellite into orbit.

If the venture succeeds New Zealand would join countries such as Iran, Israel, India, North and South Korea and Argentina, as well as the great powers, in staging a successful rocket launch.

Computer generated image of proposed rocket launch site, owned by Rocket Lab, for Bayleys Rd, Kaitorete Spit, near Birdlings Flat in Canterbury.

What is revolutionary is Rocket Lab's plan to create rockets for under $US5 million, allowing smaller companies, research and environmental groups to launch their own satellites into space.

"We're looking at the democratisation of space," said Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck.

Last year 19 orbital rockets were launched in the United States at an average cost of $132m each - a price affordable only to governments and major corporations.

Rocket Lab chief executive Peter Beck hopes his firm will revolutionise the global space industry with the creation of a cheaper rocket able to launch small satellites into orbit.

Rocket Lab's ambitious project hinged on the its ability to produce orbital rockets for $US4.9m. It used 3D printers to produce the engines and a body made from lightweight carbon fibre. The rockets were 1m in diameter and 20m tall.

Beck said New Zealand had never launched an orbital rocket before.

However, the site at Bayleys Rd, Kaitorete Spit, was uniquely placed for such launches as there were few planes or marine traffic at risk of disruption. The picturesque spot also had the best launch trajectory, or "azimuth".

Easy access to Christchurch was also important as the US-owned company wanted to establish a rocket manufacturing plant there.

"We're looking at creating 200 jobs," Beck said.

Rockets, about one metre in size, would carry satellites into space for commercial customers. The company had over 30 launches booked already, he said.

Beck said preparations were under way to submit resource consent applications to Christchurch City Council for the launch site.

The proposal has attracted concern about the potential impact on the environment from the Green Party.

Spokeswoman for conservation, Eugenie Sage said the Kaitorete Spit was a nationally significant ecosystem and natural landscape feature containing habitat for threatened lizards, rare invertebrates and threatened plants such as Muehlenbechia astonii .

"The launch activities potentially disturb wildlife."

Sage said local residents were concerned about the potential impact of a launch on access to conservation reserves and other public land during the launches.

Applications for three consents from Rocket Lab were lodged with Environment Canterbury on June 15.

These consents are to discharge contaminants to air, discharge stormwater, and to provide a coastal permit for temporary occupation of the coastal marine area associated with the operation of a rocket launching complex.

Beck said the company would be working with affected parties.

"This is an announcement of our intentions so we are at the start of the process and will be working with all the relevant parties," Beck said.

He said the launch site would be no bigger than a tennis court and would have minimal impact on the land.

Rocket launches were loud, but the noise was for a very short time.

Initially Rocket Lab would launch one rocket a month, but aimed to increase frequency to one a week using a number of sites. Beck said.

"People don't realise how critically reliant we are on satellites."

Rocket Lab's Electron rocket was built to launch low earth orbit satellites, which had a life span of 5-7 years and reduced to dust after that time.

This made them more sustainable than geo syncronist satellites, which stayed in space of 10,000 years, Beck said.

This story has been corrected to note that many countries have been the staging ground for rocket launches.

- Stuff

[ChrisSpace]

And of course, Australia still cannot into space.

[Albert VDS]

Good to see an other country reaching space and a completely 3d printed rocket sound great.

One thing that bothers me, sure it's going to be a cheap rocket, but it will also have a small payload capacity.

So I'm wondering what it's payload capacity is.

[YNM]

Hmm... You can't go big without going costly... Guess the payload will be below 1000 kg, even below 500 kg ? And isn't NZ a bit far down from equator ?

[Bill Phil]

Isn't birdlings flat 44 degrees south?

[Albert VDS]

Btw, compared to the pickup truck in the 3d rendering, you could fit an average human in the nosecone.

[Kryten]

Hmm... You can't go big without going costly... Guess the payload will be below 1000 kg, even below 500 kg ? And isn't NZ a bit far down from equator ?

Payload given is 100kg to a 500km SSO, as SSO is where almost all commercial demand in this size class is. Being close to the equator would be a detriment, not an asset.

[YNM]

Payload given is 100kg to a 500km SSO, as SSO is where almost all commercial demand in this size class is. Being close to the equator would be a detriment, not an asset.

I'm unaware of that... Thanks for the information.

[Streetwind]

Hmm... You can't go big without going costly... Guess the payload will be below 1000 kg, even below 500 kg ? And isn't NZ a bit far down from equator ?

Isn't birdlings flat 44 degrees south?

In addition to what Kryten said:

This rocket is a smallsat launcher, and small satellites (like cubesats) usually remain in low Earth orbit conducting Earth science and observation. If you've ever played with SCANsat in KSP, or indeed with the stock resource scanner, you'll know that planetary observation isn't done from equatorial orbits. In fact, you want a highly polar orbit instead. And that's where most Earth observation satellites go IRL too. In fact, only a small subset of IRL payloads launches into an equatorial orbit.

And for a polar orbit, neither latitude nor longitude matters much. All you need to do to launch into your desired orbit is picking the correct time of day to press the button. As such, the fact that New Zealand is so far south doesn't affect the market viability of the Electron rocket at all

[YNM]

Going to some polar orbit from high-latitude sites profits from the slowness of Earth's rotational speed actually... You have less to fight against those, and you can concentrate more on getting the right apogee...

[Dkmdlb]

This made them more sustainable than geo syncronist satellites, which stayed in space of 10,000 years

It was all going so well until this point

[Kryten]

Here's a better article, that one is a bit crap.

[kiwi1960]

The fact that the launcher is very lightweight also helps.

Given the cheapness of the launcher, little wonder why everyone wants this to happen.

[Kryten]

https://twitter.com/johnkeypm/status/616392297161334785

Launch site visit by NZ PM (and Christchurch native) John Key.

[kiwi1960]

https://twitter.com/johnkeypm/status/616392297161334785

Launch site visit by NZ PM (and Christchurch native) John Key.

He was born there, but left as a young man, he now lives in Auckland... he is also hated in Christchurch because after the earthquake, he promised much, but left the rebuild of homes up to the market to sort out, so, after four years, people are still homeless and forced to live in their cars...

I live in the North Island, but I hate him also. I have a Facebook group dedicated to hating him, its got over 1200 members...

[Bill Phil]

In addition to what Kryten said:

This rocket is a smallsat launcher, and small satellites (like cubesats) usually remain in low Earth orbit conducting Earth science and observation. If you've ever played with SCANsat in KSP, or indeed with the stock resource scanner, you'll know that planetary observation isn't done from equatorial orbits. In fact, you want a highly polar orbit instead. And that's where most Earth observation satellites go IRL too. In fact, only a small subset of IRL payloads launches into an equatorial orbit.

And for a polar orbit, neither latitude nor longitude matters much. All you need to do to launch into your desired orbit is picking the correct time of day to press the button. As such, the fact that New Zealand is so far south doesn't affect the market viability of the Electron rocket at all

Yes, but you want flexibility. The market will change, and you want to be able to deal with it when it happens.

But it probably won't change for a long while.

[J.Random]

How can these guys compete in today's market? Seriously, 5$mil per launch of 100kg payload is 50000$ per kg. To low orbit! And they call it "the most affordable". Are they mad?

[shynung]

They compensate by having better access to polar orbits, due to latitude.

[Bill Phil]

How can these guys compete in today's market? Seriously, 5$mil per launch of 100kg payload is 50000$ per kg. To low orbit! And they call it "the most affordable". Are they mad?

That's just how much it costs to build the rocket. Maybe it's the cost to produce one batch of rockets. Not nessecarily per launch.

At least as far as I know.

[J.Random]

That's just how much it costs to build the rocket. Maybe it's the cost to produce one batch of rockets. Not nessecarily per launch.

At least as far as I know.

They say it right here:

Electron is a two stage vehicle that uses Rocket Lab’s Rutherford liquid engine on both stages.

The first Electron launch is planned for 2015, with commercial operations scheduled to begin in 2016. At a cost of $4.9M Electron is the most affordable dedicated launch service for small satellites to Low Earth Orbit.

Launch cost can't be lower than production cost, can it? Their CEO claims that it's a "95% reduction in cost" in the video.

They also claim that electric turbo pump powered by LiPo batteries (PhysicsSignificance = 1?) increases rocket engine efficiency to 95%. Maybe they just like the number, I don't know.

This project looks really weird.

Edited July 6, 2015 by J.Random

[Kryten]

How can these guys compete in today's market? Seriously, 5$mil per launch of 100kg payload is 50000$ per kg. To low orbit! And they call it "the most affordable". Are they mad?

If you want to put a small payload into a dedicated SSO, and many people do, your cheapest option is Dnepr at $12 million.

[Bill Phil]

They say it right here:

Launch cost can't be lower than production cost, can it? Their CEO claims that it's a "95% reduction in cost" in the video.

They also claim that electric turbo pump powered by LiPo batteries (PhysicsSignificance = 1?) increases rocket engine efficiency to 95%. Maybe they just like the number, I don't know.

This project looks really weird.

I'm saying the launch cost is dependent on a lot of factors, and that in the OP it is said it costs 4.9 million to produce the rocket.

I'm also saying that maybe it's produced in batches. Which probably isn't the case, but maybe that was a mistake in the quote you mentioned? I have no idea.

But 5 million per launch is a bit expensive anyways. I seem to recall Delta II being around 10 million and a few tonnes to orbit. Could be wrong though.

Edit:

That's to a sun synchronous orbit at 500 km... Which is still LEO but inclined....

Edited July 6, 2015 by Bill Phil

[J.Random]

Aren't there refurbished ICBMs for that already?

[Kryten]

That's exactly what Dnepr is. Smart (converted Topol) would be cheaper for roughly equivalent mass, but didn't have enough demand to support the facilities at it's launch base, so it was canned. Now there's much more demand in this size class.

[J.Random]

Minotaur (refurbished Minuteman)? And SpaceX wanted part of the market as well, what, they've canned Falcon-1 without replacement?

Huh. I was under impression that the small LV market was oversaturated. Guess I was wrong, Rocket Lab may actually get customers.