Quote from: Comga on 06/28/2018 11:36 pmQuote from: Bean Kenobi on 06/28/2018 07:43 pmQuote from: Comga on 06/28/2018 04:43 amAll scheduled launch vehicles are "Electron"Not correct. There will be 2 versions : "Electron without upperstage" and "Electron with Curie upperstage"Do we know that?It's said by Rocket Lab on this page : https://www.rocketlabusa.com/electron/"An optional apogee kick stage that can execute multiple burns..."
Quote from: Bean Kenobi on 06/28/2018 07:43 pmQuote from: Comga on 06/28/2018 04:43 amAll scheduled launch vehicles are "Electron"Not correct. There will be 2 versions : "Electron without upperstage" and "Electron with Curie upperstage"Do we know that?
Quote from: Comga on 06/28/2018 04:43 amAll scheduled launch vehicles are "Electron"Not correct. There will be 2 versions : "Electron without upperstage" and "Electron with Curie upperstage"
All scheduled launch vehicles are "Electron"
Presser:Rocket Lab to expand launch capability with US launch site Huntington Beach, California. 10 July 2018.US orbital launch provider Rocket Lab has today confirmed plans to expand its launch capability by developing a US launch site, with four US space ports shortlisted to launch the Electron rocket. Final selection is underway with Cape Canaveral, Wallops Flight Facility, Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base. A decision on the confirmed site, to be named Launch Complex 2, is expected to be made in August 2018. Designed to serve both commercial and US government missions, the US launch site expands on Rocket Lab’s ability to provide customers with the rapid, flexible and cost-effective access to orbit needed to support the increasing number of small satellites. “The development of Rocket Lab’s US launch site strengthens our existing position as the industry leader providing frequent and tailored access to orbit for small satellites. Launching from US soil adds an extra layer of flexibility for our government and commercial customers, offering an unmatched ability to rapidly deploy space-based assets with confidence and precision,” said Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck. “We believe the launch process should be simple, seamless and tailored to our customers’ missions - from idea to orbit. Every aspect of the Electron orbital launch program is designed with this in mind and Launch Complex 2 is the next step in this strategy.” The four potential launch sites are being assessed against a range of criteria, including anticipated pad construction cost and time-frame, regulatory lead times and ongoing costs once the site is operational. Rocket Lab is considering East and West coast options to explore a wide range of inclinations matched against current and anticipated manifest demand. Launch Complex 2 will be designed to support monthly orbital launches. Once the final site is confirmed, construction will begin immediately, with the first mission from Launch Complex 2 slated for Q2 2019. Rocket Lab will construct its own pad infrastructure tailored to the Electron launch vehicle. The development of Launch Complex 2 will see Rocket Lab continue to expand Electron rocket production at the company’s headquarters in Huntington Beach, California, to supply complete launch vehicles for government and commercial customers. Rocket Lab already has the ability to launch more frequently than any other launch provider thanks to operating the world’s only private orbital launch facility, Launch Complex 1, on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. Launch Complex 1 is licensed to launch up to every 72 hours.
1. IntroductionAkash Systems Inc. (referred to as “Akash”) is on a mission to improve the spectral efficiency of satellite communications systems with its patented GaN-on-Diamond technology. Founded in January 2016, Akash is composed of a veteran team of GaN and satellite innovators, and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA with an additional office in Dallas, TX.Akash has incorporated its GaN-on-Diamond technology with a flight-proven software defined radio (SDR) into a compact form factor, and seeks authority to test its GaN Transmitter technology on a 12U CubeSat called “MCNAIR”.2. Technical System DescriptionOn October 1, 2019, MCNAIR will be launched from New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula on a Rocketlab Electron rocket to a sun-synchronous orbit targeted for an altitude of 500 km, and an inclination of 97.8 degrees. The demonstration is intended to begin on October 1, 2019 and end on April 1, 2020, but with CubeSat missions the launch window could slip in time. All emissions will cease after the six month demonstration is completeMCNAIR is a 12U CubeSat that measures 23.9 cm by 22.9 cm by 36.6 cm stowed and has a mass of 19.9 kg...
Rocket Lab @RocketLabNew launch date! We're headed back to the pad for It's Business Time in November, with the ELaNa XIX mission for NASA to follow in December.
Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflightRocket Lab signs agreement for ten dedicated Electron missions with Circle Aerospace. First launch targetting Q4 2019. All will be Electron missions launched from New Zealand.Presser:https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=46140.0
Separately, Rocket Lab announced Aug. 7 a memorandum of understanding with Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation regarding hosted payloads on Electron launches. Under that agreement, Ecliptic will supply payloads from its customers that remain attached to the Electron’s kick stage after deployment of satellites on a given mission.One such hosted payload will be flown on the next Electron launch, now scheduled for early November. A drag sail technology demonstrator called NABEO, developed by German company High Performance Space Structure Systems GmBH, will be tested on the kick stage after it deploys the other satellites on that flight. Ecliptic handled the payload integration as a pathfinder for this new agreement.Ecliptic plans to fly hosted payloads on Electron launches roughly once a quarter, starting in the first quarter of 2019. That mission will feature a two-kilogram hosted payload provided by Ecliptic and Beyond Sensors LLC, with later missions carrying hosted payloads weighing up to 25 kilograms.
Capella satellites will weigh less than 40 kilograms, which means four will fit on a single Rocket Lab Electron rocket, said Payam Banazadeh, Capella co-founder and chief executive.By launching four satellites on each rocket and sending rocket into different planes, Capella will “build a constellation of many planes and orbits with the least amount of operational and deployment complexity,” Banazadeh said. “It allows us to deploy our constellation efficiently in a shorter time frame and with less capital” than constellations of larger satellites....Later in 2019, Capella plans to launch six additional satellites into two orbital planes.
https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1026483274590220289QuoteRocket Lab @RocketLabNew launch date! We're headed back to the pad for It's Business Time in November, with the ELaNa XIX mission for NASA to follow in December.
Quote from: Salo on 08/07/2018 07:27 amhttps://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1026483274590220289QuoteRocket Lab @RocketLabNew launch date! We're headed back to the pad for It's Business Time in November, with the ELaNa XIX mission for NASA to follow in December. Huh?On the pad, off the pad, on the pad, off the pad, and now an additional quarter year delay before going into a monthly pace?A 9 month gap seems incongruous with in instant ramp-up.
Welcome aboard #KleosSpace! We're thrilled to be launching Kleos' scouting mission satellites to form the cornerstones of a constellation to geolocate maritime radio transmissions that will guard borders, protect assets and save lives. More here: https://bit.ly/2NYDgBx
https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1042553844650012673QuoteWelcome aboard #KleosSpace! We're thrilled to be launching Kleos' scouting mission satellites to form the cornerstones of a constellation to geolocate maritime radio transmissions that will guard borders, protect assets and save lives. More here: https://bit.ly/2NYDgBx
the number of cubesats being launched is not equal to the number of launches.
Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflightSupport at least 12 launches a year. First launch 3rd quarter of next year.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/rocket-lab-and-fleet-space-to-launch-cubesat-next-month/
Rocket Lab is about to get a sizable leg up on its competition, which includes Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit, Firefly Aerospace and others still trying to get off the ground.
November 11:https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1057361750276730880
The satellites have been added to the manifest for Rocket Lab’s upcoming mission, ‘It’s Business Time’, scheduled for launch on November 11 from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex-1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula.The Fleet satellites will join other payloads for the launch: two Spire Global Lemur-2 satellites, the Irvine CubeSat STEM Program (ICSP) IRVINE01 educational CubeSat, NABEO, a drag sail technology demonstrator designed and built by High Performance Space Structure Systems GmBH and a GeoOptics Inc. satellite, built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems.The Proxima I and II satellites are a pair of identical 1.5 U CubeSats designed and built by Fleet.