Author Topic: Vector Launch (formerly Vector Space Systems)  (Read 402688 times)

Offline Tywin

Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #940 on: 08/08/2019 01:05 am »
Goods news for Vector:

Quote
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Small launch provider Vector Launch has received a $3.4 million contract from the Air Force Rocket Systems Launch Program office to lift experimental satellites to low Earth orbit.

https://spacenews.com/vector-launch-awarded-its-first-u-s-air-force-mission/
The knowledge is power...Everything is connected...
The Turtle continues at a steady pace ...

Offline Steven Pietrobon

  • Member
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 39215
  • Adelaide, Australia
    • Steven Pietrobon's Space Archive
  • Liked: 32735
  • Likes Given: 8178
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #941 on: 08/08/2019 06:26 am »
The important bit. ASLON stands for Agile Small Launch Operational Normalizer.

"The initial launch capability of the ASLON-45 mission is scheduled for the third quarter of 2021."
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline Ragmar

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 111
  • Space is the Place
  • Liked: 18
  • Likes Given: 87
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #942 on: 08/09/2019 06:25 pm »
Hearing rumors that funding fell through today and that Vector closed their doors.  Anybody else?

Offline brussell

  • Member
  • Posts: 97
  • la
  • Liked: 74
  • Likes Given: 35
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #943 on: 08/09/2019 07:33 pm »
Just heard it as well from a reliable source. Booo.

Hearing rumors that funding fell through today and that Vector closed their doors.  Anybody else?
« Last Edit: 08/09/2019 07:36 pm by brussell »

Offline Nehkara

Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #944 on: 08/09/2019 08:09 pm »
Also heard this from a reliable source. :(

Offline jongoff

  • Recovering Rocket Plumber/Space Entrepreneur
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6807
  • Lafayette/Broomfield, CO
  • Liked: 3987
  • Likes Given: 1681
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #945 on: 08/09/2019 08:38 pm »
Me too. I heard it from a friend who works there. Sad news for Garvey and the team. I just barely got a tour of their HB facility a few weeks ago, and was just talking with John at SmallSat on Tuesday.

~Jon

Offline ringsider

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 714
  • Liked: 506
  • Likes Given: 97
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #946 on: 08/09/2019 08:55 pm »
Hearing rumors that funding fell through today and that Vector closed their doors.  Anybody else?

The key question, if this is true, is why the funding failed - was it missed milestones / deliverables? The CEO of this company was very busy pumping out hype and being the man who invented space, but was he delivering?
 
Peter de Selding was clearly suspicious something was going on a few days ago:-

Peter B. de Selding @pbdes Aug 6
Robert Cleave, former @LockheedMartin Commercial Launch Services president who joined @vectorlaunch in Sept as chief revenue officer, has left Vector. Now director at 'stealth-mode company start-up focused on those elements that make networks more efficient and secure.'

Online FutureSpaceTourist

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 48151
  • UK
    • Plan 28
  • Liked: 81637
  • Likes Given: 36932
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #947 on: 08/09/2019 09:11 pm »
Oh dear, I’m sorry for those affected - hope they can find good jobs elsewhere soon.

I’m afraid quite a few more smallsat launch companies will be going the same way in the next year or two.

Offline russianhalo117

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8755
  • Liked: 4672
  • Likes Given: 768
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #948 on: 08/09/2019 09:23 pm »
Hearing rumors that funding fell through today and that Vector closed their doors.  Anybody else?

The key question, if this is true, is why the funding failed - was it missed milestones / deliverables? The CEO of this company was very busy pumping out hype and being the man who invented space, but was he delivering?
 
Peter de Selding was clearly suspicious something was going on a few days ago:-

Peter B. de Selding @pbdes Aug 6
Robert Cleave, former @LockheedMartin Commercial Launch Services president who joined @vectorlaunch in Sept as chief revenue officer, has left Vector. Now director at 'stealth-mode company start-up focused on those elements that make networks more efficient and secure.'
The CEO runs/is involved in several other companies whom were the majority of the Launch customers which may have been done to generate hype and create a false impression that the companyis worthy of launch contracts because of the partner contracts. The ALSON-45 order was written to act as an MoU until the first successful orbital launch at which the contract itself would have gone into effect.

Online FutureSpaceTourist

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 48151
  • UK
    • Plan 28
  • Liked: 81637
  • Likes Given: 36932
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #949 on: 08/09/2019 09:37 pm »
LA Times business reporter:

https://twitter.com/smasunaga/status/1159938892805492739

Quote
Tucson launch company Vector says CEO Jim Cantrell is no longer with the company, effective today, and that John Garvey has assumed CEO role.

Edit to add:

https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1159939834321997825

Quote
Jim Cantrell is out as @vectorlaunch chief executive. I have not been able to confirm (well sourced) rumors of serious financial trouble with the micro-launch company. Story imminent.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/08/sources-say-the-rocket-company-vector-may-be-in-financial-trouble/
« Last Edit: 08/09/2019 09:39 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

Offline ringsider

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 714
  • Liked: 506
  • Likes Given: 97
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #950 on: 08/09/2019 09:39 pm »
Cantrell out, Garvey CEO:-

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/08/sources-say-the-rocket-company-vector-may-be-in-financial-trouble/

Vector, a micro-launch company founded in 2016 to build small rockets for payloads of up to 60kg, may be in financial trouble, multiple industry sources told Ars on Friday. A spokeswoman for Vector did not comment on that. However, she did confirm the company has parted ways with its chief executive: "Jim Cantrell is no longer with Vector effective today. John Garvey has assumed the role of CEO."

...

Earlier this year, Cantrell cited several issues that had led to delays of the Vector-R launch. The partial government shutdown last December and January affected its operations, as did range closures at the Alaska spaceport for other tenants. Also, the rocket's autonomous flight-termination system, provided by an outside vendor, failed qualification tests. Then there were issues with the mass of the vehicle itself. The rocket's engines and their novel use of a liquid oxygen and liquid propylene fuel have worked as intended, but the fuel tanks were too heavy. So engineers had to re-work the vehicle to lower its overall mass."

Offline PM3

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1481
  • Germany
  • Liked: 1840
  • Likes Given: 1299
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #951 on: 08/09/2019 09:57 pm »
No surprise. Vector has had a smell of mismanagement for a long time, and a ridiculous cash burn.

I have similar impression of Firefly, not as bad as with Vector but some things are feeling strange there. Let's hope I am wrong.
"Never, never be afraid of the truth." -- Jim Bridenstine

Offline Toast

Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #952 on: 08/09/2019 10:22 pm »
As others have said, this isn't particularly surprising. Not the first and definitely not the last smallsat launch company to have financial struggles.
Anybody with connections know how significant the financial troubles are? I'm guessing the company is going under entirely, or are they going to be able to restructure and hobble on?

EDIT:
According to Eric Berger, sounds like a resurrection isn't ruled out, but probably won't be imminent:

"No official comment from the company, and not expecting one today. But two Vector employees have told me they were all laid off today. My guess is that, under Garvey, they may attempt a Firefly-esque renaissance with new funding at some point. But I don't know. Sad day."
« Last Edit: 08/09/2019 10:28 pm by Toast »

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #953 on: 08/09/2019 11:21 pm »


No surprise. Vector has had a smell of mismanagement for a long time, and a ridiculous cash burn.

I have similar impression of Firefly, not as bad as with Vector but some things are feeling strange there. Let's hope I am wrong.

That leaves RL which seems safe given its flying and making money, Virgin LauncherOne should fly this year and is well funded but its big OneWeb contract has shrunk.
In +1000kg class its Firefly, Relativity and Boeing Phantom Express (XS1). Boeing is funded internally and by Draper, it should fly, how competitive it will be is another story, but is RLV. RL move to RLV may give Firefly and Relativity financial backers doubts given they are both building ELVs.

Some of international SLVs should be OK,  if nothing else, because there is still strategic importance in having domestic access to space and SLV are cheap compared current big LVs.
Expect at least one or two from China and same for Europe.

Online gongora

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10205
  • US
  • Liked: 13885
  • Likes Given: 5933
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #954 on: 08/09/2019 11:38 pm »


No surprise. Vector has had a smell of mismanagement for a long time, and a ridiculous cash burn.

I have similar impression of Firefly, not as bad as with Vector but some things are feeling strange there. Let's hope I am wrong.

That leaves RL which seems safe given its flying and making money, Virgin LauncherOne should fly this year and is well funded but its big OneWeb contract has shrunk.
In +1000kg class its Firefly, Relativity and Boeing Phantom Express (XS1). Boeing is funded internally and by Draper, it should fly, how competitive it will be is another story, but is RLV. RL move to RLV may give Firefly and Relativity financial backers doubts given they are both building ELVs.

Some of international SLVs should be OK,  if nothing else, because there is still strategic importance in having domestic access to space and SLV are cheap compared current big LVs.
Expect at least one or two from China and same for Europe.

There are dozens more companies, and a lot of them are probably more likely to make a commercially viable launcher than Boeing.

Offline Lars-J

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6809
  • California
  • Liked: 8485
  • Likes Given: 5384
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #955 on: 08/10/2019 12:01 am »
That's a real bummer.  :(

As a long time skeptic of Vector I am not shocked, but still... Not like this.

Offline xyv

  • Full Member
  • **
  • Posts: 223
  • South of Vandenberg
  • Liked: 510
  • Likes Given: 93
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #956 on: 08/10/2019 01:32 am »
Wow.  I  have not hesitated to ridicule these guys but I really thought they would have at least a failed orbital attempt before they went under.  Prodigious cash burn rate but actual (if more incremental than expected) progress on a rocket.  If this is really the end, the final tally (my best recollection without  plowing through the previous 3 years and 40 odd pages) is two launches of less than "high powered model rocket" altitude and a receding demonstration of TVC, flight engines, carbon fiber tanks etc.

Somewhere in those 40+ pages are pictures of JC's racing Porches with Vector logos.  Hopefully the good people are able to move on to better managed companies.

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #957 on: 08/10/2019 03:21 am »
Its not all bad for exVector staff,  Virgin, RL and Blue are all actively recruiting.

Online FutureSpaceTourist

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 48151
  • UK
    • Plan 28
  • Liked: 81637
  • Likes Given: 36932
Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #958 on: 08/10/2019 04:54 am »
Brief Vector statement:

Quote
350 S Toole Avenue Tucson,
Arizona 85701
888-346-7778

August 9, 2019

In response to a significant change in financing, Vector Launch Inc (Vector) announced today that it is undertaking a pause of operations. A core team is evaluating options on completing the development of the company’s Vector-R small launch vehicle, while also supporting the Air Force and other government agencies on programs such as the recent ASLON-45 award.

The company plans to make more information available next week. Vector Launch

https://vector-launch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/vector-statement.pdf

Offline Tywin

Re: Vector Space Systems
« Reply #959 on: 08/10/2019 07:05 pm »


No surprise. Vector has had a smell of mismanagement for a long time, and a ridiculous cash burn.

I have similar impression of Firefly, not as bad as with Vector but some things are feeling strange there. Let's hope I am wrong.

That leaves RL which seems safe given its flying and making money, Virgin LauncherOne should fly this year and is well funded but its big OneWeb contract has shrunk.
In +1000kg class its Firefly, Relativity and Boeing Phantom Express (XS1). Boeing is funded internally and by Draper, it should fly, how competitive it will be is another story, but is RLV. RL move to RLV may give Firefly and Relativity financial backers doubts given they are both building ELVs.

Some of international SLVs should be OK,  if nothing else, because there is still strategic importance in having domestic access to space and SLV are cheap compared current big LVs.
Expect at least one or two from China and same for Europe.

Maybe Relativy can survive until they flying her orbital rockets, with the deep pockets of Mark Cuban...

Edited: Launcher Space and ABL Space, both coming with rockets in the same league (1000 kg in LEO) and both should be survive,  until they launch her orbital rockets, with her investors , Haot, and LM respectively...
« Last Edit: 08/10/2019 07:12 pm by Tywin »
The knowledge is power...Everything is connected...
The Turtle continues at a steady pace ...

Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
1