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#20
by
Star One
on 09 Jul, 2017 17:39
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How would Electron's launch capability vary from those launched from New Zealand, would it have better performance to certain classes of orbit?
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#21
by
Lars-J
on 10 Jul, 2017 19:00
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How 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.
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#22
by
Star One
on 10 Jul, 2017 19:25
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How 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.
That sounds a strange economic move to be even talking about this if it's not able to support two launch sites.
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#23
by
Space Ghost 1962
on 10 Jul, 2017 19:41
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Keep in mind weather. That might limit launch availability.
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#24
by
TrevorMonty
on 10 Jul, 2017 19:57
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Alot of satellites maybe coming out of UK and europe. Makes it cheaper for customer to be present at launch compared to NZ or US.
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#25
by
Dao Angkan
on 10 Jul, 2017 23:22
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RL's NZ site looks to be pretty minimal. A similar site in Scotland might not cost much, especially with UKSA grants.
The weather isn't that bad in Northern Scotland (as already mentioned, thanks to the Gulf Stream), and they're only planning 8 launches a year, so as long as they're flexible and plan to launch to weather forecasts then the weather shouldn't be a significant issue for that level of cadence.
As the UK already has a significant small-sat industry, I could certainly see regulatory and bureaucratic benefits to launching those from the UK.
The biggest benefit though, is probably political. UK government is prioritising the space industry with their new space bill, a big part of which is regulating space flight from the UK, with the expectation of the first spaceport operating by 2020. Most analysts say that isn't realistic, but if a serious player, like Lockheed Martin comes up with a realistic proposal, then the government is likely to free up funds to help with that (tens of millions rather than hundreds).
Without getting too political, the new UK government is pretty weak (numbers-wise), it will have to focus on non-controversial policies during it's term, of which I think this would be included in (cross-party support for it), as long as it doesn't cost much.
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#26
by
TrevorMonty
on 11 Jul, 2017 03:56
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To justify development and permanent support staff I'd thought higher flight of 12-20 would be needed.
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#27
by
ringsider
on 12 Jul, 2017 16:11
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#28
by
CameronD
on 13 Jul, 2017 00:01
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New Zealand weather.
E.g. reason to have another pad elsewhere.
'Nuthin wrong with New Zealand weather. If you don't like it, come back in 10 minutes..
(That's one of the advantages of launching from any small island in the middle of a large ocean nowhere near the Trades. The weather doesn't stay the same for very long)
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#29
by
Dao Angkan
on 13 Jul, 2017 19:37
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Big cash boost for UK satellite sectorDr 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."
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#30
by
Dao Angkan
on 16 Jul, 2018 00:07
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-44841123A 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.
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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."
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#31
by
TrevorMonty
on 16 Jul, 2018 01:16
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A bit more info on UK US would be nice.
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#32
by
Dao Angkan
on 16 Jul, 2018 13:35
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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.
Small Launch Orbital Maneuvering Vehiclehttps://www.gov.uk/government/news/lockheed-martin-and-orbex-to-launch-uk-into-new-space-ageUnder 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.
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#33
by
yg1968
on 16 Jul, 2018 23:51
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#34
by
Comga
on 17 Jul, 2018 15:16
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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.
That plus having Lockheed develop cubesats for weather observation, as long as they, too are developed domestically. (
Orbital Micro Systems is listed as a British company in Harwell, Oxfordshire, but the folks on their website are mostly American and their main office is in Boulder, Colorado.
The BBC calls them a UK firm and says "OMS is moving into Britain because of the support offered to new space firms.")
edit: The BBC says OMS will open a data center in Harwell, Oxfordshire and a hardware lab in Glasgow, Scotland.
Surely Rocketlabs didn't have or use $31M funding for Curie.
And Orbex gets $7M from UKSA, too.
Virgin Orbit's Launcher One may also get funding and a runway.
Fighting gravity is hard enough for rocket builders.
Fighting market interference by government agencies might be even harder.
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#35
by
Davidthefat
on 17 Jul, 2018 15:26
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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.
Is that pretty much a development of a smaller propulsive ESPA Ring that interfaces with the smaller 15 inch payload interface in smaller launch vehicles? They are marketing that as a stand alone upper stage instead of marketing as a satellite bus?
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#36
by
yg1968
on 17 Jul, 2018 21:16
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#37
by
nacnud
on 17 Jul, 2018 21:50
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#38
by
Star One
on 18 Jul, 2018 06:53
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#39
by
Star One
on 14 Oct, 2018 10:02
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BBC Radio news have been reporting that LM have said that the first U.K. launch should be by 2020 from Scotland. I can’t however find where this information is coming from, even looking on the BBC news website I can find nothing about it.
