RocketLab Discussion Thread

[AckSed]

Rocket Lab thinks it should be getting into that US defence money bidding: https://spacenews.com/rocket-lab-confirms-plan-to-bid-for-pentagon-launch-contracts-with-new-medium-rocket/

The main takeaway here is that Beck thinks they can launch Neutron by December 2025. I think they have a shot.

[tater]

 

[darthgently]

2 hours ago, tater said:

 

Exciting times!

I’m no genius but the artist made that payload too big for the taper on those payload bay doors if my MK1 calibrated eyeballs don’t deceive me.  Never leave the engineers out of the artistic rendering loop.  It’s as important as spellchecking in PR.

[AckSed]

Transcript: https://payloadspace.com/an-interview-with-sir-peter-beck-rocket-lab-ceo/

Key takeaways:

First test of Neutron will be roughly in the middle of 2025, aiming for a splashdown. Expect a similar number of launches year-on-year to Electron's start;

Have a backlog of HASTE hypersonic missions;

Walking around the engine test facilities, and team was doing a cryo test on a Neutron tank;

"...two-thirds of the total investment of the rocket program is in that infrastructure, that steel and concrete in the ground.";

Built a production line for Archimedes first, which was riskier. Everything coming off was intended for flight - software, avionics, the whole engine down to the valves;

200-300kg payload of Electron and 13,000kg of Neutron kind of the sweet spot. Electron is not going away;

Interviewer says, based on what he's seen around, that development was around $350 million. Have to be a visionary with a product that people want to buy, and it's like running through a maze with dead-ends holding people with shotguns; have to stick your head out, but also not die. "...some companies worry about millions of dollars, we worry about cents. Like everything is accounted for and is really, really well controlled."

Have to have a coupling between business decisions and engineering, because "physics doesn't care about money [...] engineering execution is the real leveller.";

Interviewer mentions Musk's decision to make Starship pointier, even though it had no advantage. Beck says he did the same thing with Neutron's fairing, because the optimised shape looked terrible: too bulbous and phallic. It's slightly better aerodynamically, slightly heavier;

All aspects of the business are doing well, not a case of 'oh, now I can breathe easier' after the SDA contract;

Always intended for RL to be a space systems company. "...the very second Electron that we launched had recesses in the kick stage for solar panels to turn it into a satellite.";

Acquisitions e.g. Sinclair (produces reaction wheels) are to allow them to scale. In service to scaling, recent hire of automotive industry person Frank Klein as COO (decades of experience as a manager for Daimler AG, Magna Steyr AG and most recently Rivian);

Neutron’s important to [RL] as they're looking to disrupt the launch monopoly and medium class launch with end-to-end spacecraft, satellite design and launch. The large space companies of the future will build whatever satellite they need at scale for their own applications, launch their own stuff and have unimpeded access to space;

"...bringing scale to the space industry is something that’s really, really sorely lacked. And I think the one thing that Rocket Lab is really good at is very, very difficult things to produce and deep tech components and systems.";

"I think whoever turns up with a working rocket in a really constrained market is going to be everybody’s best friend.";

As space stations become commercialized and there’s more destinations, demand will happen over time. Not right now, not with one provider and one destination;

Not as strong a market on lunar payloads. Changes, becomes "very, very interesting" if the Chinese gain a footprint on the moon;

They are incredibly passionate. However, "If you’re starting a [space] company, don’t fall in love with the technology." (fricking ouch. That's the entire reason I follow this stuff. :-/)

Restates position that RL is meant to be a multi-generational space company that is enduring, even after he leaves. That said, he's living the dream.

[darthgently]

Nice new 3D tracking.

The 5 sat deployments near end leave me wondering what makes the different deployment trajectories relative to the craft ideal. Is it merely to separate them as much as possible then they find their distinct orbits from there, or are the initial deployment vectors helpful in them getting to their final orbits.  One sat prograde, two +-radially, and two +-normally

 

Edited November 25 by darthgently

[StrandedonEarth]

9 hours ago, darthgently said:

 One sat prograde, two +-radially, and two +-normally

The radial and normal ejections balance each other out, the prograde ejection only slows the bus a tiny bit. Net result is likely the bus going straight, without spinning/tumbling. But that’s just my WAG

[magnemoe]

2 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

The radial and normal ejections balance each other out, the prograde ejection only slows the bus a tiny bit. Net result is likely the bus going straight, without spinning/tumbling. But that’s just my WAG

Agree, the burn between separation was to short to have much effect, much less the mechanical ejection. 
I say this was to separate the satellites so they don't interfere with each others. 

You could do real burn if satellites wanted different orbits, not sure if this has been done much however. Know first dragon had secondary payload, same with at least one Apollo mission putting some small satellites in moon orbit. Same with Artemis 1

[darthgently]

5 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

The radial and normal ejections balance each other out, the prograde ejection only slows the bus a tiny bit. Net result is likely the bus going straight, without spinning/tumbling. But that’s just my WAG

Ok, I wasn’t clear.  I meant the effect on the satellite orbits post ejection, not the bus.  It would be cool if the prograde ejection were enough to drop the bus periapsis significantly though to make deorbit cheaper.

I guess the ejection dv isn’t that much so probably figure it is just separating them a bit initially.  Looks like around 5 to 10 m/s ejection?

Edited November 26 by darthgently

[tater]

 

[tater]