How would Electron's launch capability vary from those launched from New Zealand, would it have better performance to certain classes of orbit?
Quote from: Star One on 07/09/2017 05:39 pmHow would Electron's launch capability vary from those launched from New Zealand, would it have better performance to certain classes of orbit?A very *slight* performance boost to polar/SSO orbits. (Launch sites closer to the poles give slightly better performance when launching to polar orbits, just like near-equator sites get a boost when launching to eastern orbits)But it seems like a poor investment unless RL really starts launching so many rockets that they need a 2nd launch site.
Keep in mind weather. That might limit launch availability.
New Zealand weather.E.g. reason to have another pad elsewhere.
Dr Graham Turnock, the UK Space Agency's CEO, hopes the NSTF will see much more work retained on home soil. "It's soup to nuts, isn't it? You should be able to set up and run a space business in the UK and be able to go from conception to launch. And if we can offer that, it's going to make the UK a tremendously attractive place to do space."
A remote, boggy stretch of land on the north coast of Scotland is likely to become the UK's first spaceport.The A'Mhoine Peninsula in Sutherland has been chosen as the most suitable place from which to launch rockets vertically to put satellites in orbit.The UK Space Agency is giving Highlands and Islands Enterprise £2.5m towards the development of the facility.HIE will work closely with operators. The American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin wants to be one of the partners.The goal would be to have launches as early as possible in the 2020s....Lockheed has made no secret of its desire to bring the Electron rocket to Scotland. Currently, this vehicle flies out of New Zealand.A British version of the rocket would have an upper-stage developed and built at LM's UK HQ in Ampthill, Bedfordshire."This is a defining moment for UK Space," a spokesperson for the company told BBC News. "Lockheed Martin has been working with Britain for over 80 years and we stand ready to support the development of UK launch capability should our extensive experience in developing space infrastructure be called upon."
Lockheed Martin To Help UK Space Agency Build First Commercial Spaceport; Launch First Orbital Rocket First vertical launch from Scotland planned for the early 2020s.FARNBOROUGH, England, July 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The UK Space Agency has selected Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to help implement its vision for the UK Spaceflight Programme, an innovative initiative to create a world-leading commercial launch market that grows the UK economy through regular, reliable and responsible access to space."The countdown to the first orbital rocket launch from UK soil has officially begun," said Patrick Wood, Lockheed Martin's UK Country Executive for Space. "The UK Government has stated its desire to grow the UK's space sector to ten percent of the global space economy by 2030. We are proud to be selected to help them achieve this goal. This initiative will not only spark advancements in science and innovation, it will create new opportunities for current and future UK-based suppliers to become part of the next space age."With a recent grant from the UK Space Agency, Lockheed Martin is leading a team to execute several strategic projects to support the UK Spaceflight Programme, with a goal of providing the first vertical space launch in the early 2020s. The UK's First Space Port: The team will support the development of the nation's first commercial spaceport at the Sutherland site in Melness, Scotland. The site aims to be the UK's first vertical orbital rocket launch site. Overall site development is being led by Scottish government economic and community development agency Highlands & Islands Enterprise, with Lockheed Martin providing strategic support and guidance. Innovative CubeSat Delivery Vehicle: Once it reaches orbit, the first rocket launched will release a Small Launch Orbital Manoeuvring Vehicle (SL-OMV), built specifically by Moog in the UK for the UK Spaceflight Programme. This agile platform will carry up to six 6U CubeSats, such as Lockheed Martin's LM 50 platform, which the vehicle can deploy at the most optimal times and positions for their respective missions. The team is currently taking requests from potential customers to fill its CubeSat manifest for this first launch. Advanced 6U CubeSat Pathfinder: As part of the programme, Lockheed Martin teammate Orbital Micro Systems will create and fly a UK-built pathfinder test to validate the performance of the SL-OMV and ground system. The pathfinder will help lay the ground work for planned satellite constellations that are designed to deliver low latency weather observation to commercial and government customers."This historic 'pathfinder' launch for the UK will also demonstrate the tremendous potential small satellites and CubeSats have across a wide range of commercial and government data collection applications," said Wood. "We believe, as the UK Space Agency does, that this effort will help bring the UK to the forefront of the rapidly-growing, global small satellite market and support the UK's maturing space supply chain."Lockheed Martin brings significant space experience to the UK's Spaceflight Programme, from ground systems, to launch vehicles, to on-orbit missions. The company's LM 50 CubeSat platform is an innovative and powerful platform that can be customized to a wide array of missions and payloads. It's one of four modernized satellite platforms Lockheed Martin offers its customers, including the LM 400 small satellite, LM 1000 remote sensing bus, and the flagship LM 2100 geostationary bus.Lockheed Martin's team includes: Moog, Orbital Micro Systems, the University of Leicester, Surrey Satellite Technology, Satellite Applications Catapult, SCISYS, Lena Space, Reaction Engines and Netherlands Space Office.
Under the plans, global space leader Lockheed Martin and innovative spaceflight company Orbex will launch rockets into space from the north coast of Scotland.The grants from the UK Space Agency consist of: Two separate grants worth a combined £23.5 million to Lockheed Martin to establish vertical launch operations at Sutherland using proven technology and to develop an innovative new system in Reading for deploying small satellites. Known as an orbital manoeuvring vehicle, this will be the upper stage of Lockheed Martin’s rocket and will deploy up to six small satellites to separate orbits. £5.5 million to UK-based Orbex to build an innovative new rocket for launch from Sutherland, with the support of British manufacturing operations and supply chains. Their orbital launch vehicle, called Prime, will deliver small satellites into Earth’s orbit, using a single renewable fuel, bio-propane, that cuts carbon emissions by 90% compared to hydrocarbon fuels.The companies will work together with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, which has been awarded £2.5 million to develop a vertical launch site in Sutherland....The UK and US will also soon begin formal negotiations towards a Technology Safeguards Agreement, which will establish the legal and technical safeguards that can support U.S. space launch vehicles to operate from UK launch sites. Attracting US operators to the UK will enhance our space capabilities and boost the whole market.
So there is an article in Space News about this. Lockheed gets $31M from the UK Space Agency to develop a "Small Launch Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (SL-OMV) an upper stage tht will be manufactured by Moog in the U.K. to place up to six six-U cubesats into orbit."That sounds like the UK is paying Lockheed to develop an alternative, essentially a competitor, to the Curie based Electron third stage, so long as the money is spent in the UK.
Quote from: Space Ghost 1962 on 07/10/2017 07:41 pmKeep in mind weather. That might limit launch availability.Looks like the weather is not terrible:-http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/regional-climates/ns
Another article by SN says that Lockheed martin hasn't yet decided on the LV:https://spacenews.com/lockheed-martin-yet-to-select-vehicle-to-launch-from-british-spaceport/