Rocket Lab has selected Kaitorete Spit in Canterbury, NZ, as the location of the light launch facility.

The rocket that they will launch is called the Electron, a two stager using a 20 kilonewton Rutherford engine, burning kerosene and liquid oxygen. RL say this engine is the first “fully 3D printed rocket engine” in the world. The Electron can place a 125 kg satellite in a 400 km altitude orbit.

Rocket Lab aim to complete the launch site by the end of 2015 and be offering the first commercial services during 2016.

RL has its headquarters in Texas, and has a NZ-subsidiary. Their first suborbital launch from New Zealand was in 2009 (a Atea-1 launch from Great Mercury Island). This was said to be the first commercial space launch from the Southern Hemisphere.

Rocket Lab site

News article on the new launch site

Here’s an old article about the Atea-1 launch

It there any benefit from a launch site at such high latitudes?

Why a launch facility in NZ?

Surely the closer to the equator the better.

polar orbits?

Witty Rejoinder said:

It there any benefit from a launch site at such high latitudes?

To my knowledge, no, unless you are going for polar/sun-synchronous orbits. Also it surprises me that they have chosen a location in the South Island, given that proximity to Auckland would be a plus.

have they ever launched a smaller model of the rocket ?

Note, though, that it’s also not that high in latitude. The spit is at 44 degrees south.

Compare this to Baikonur Kazakhstan, which is where the USSR and Russia have sent most of the space-stuff from and is the oldest and largest launch site in the world, is at 46 degrees north.

wookiemeister said:

have they ever launched a smaller model of the rocket ?

From what I can glean, this will be their first rocket for orbital launches, and is basically completely different from the suborbital launcher.

wookiemeister said:

have they ever launched a smaller model of the rocket ?

I did once see a news article in which Rocket Lab claimed an altitude record of some sort. The rocket in the news photo was very long and thin.

well I wish them well

they would have been better of using N2O4

wookiemeister said:

well I wish them well

Check out the “BOOK NOW” button. You can book a slot like booking a movie seat.

You can still get 1U slots for 75000 USD. 1U means 10cm x 10cm x 10cm cube satellite.

dv said:

wookiemeister said:

well I wish them well

Check out the “BOOK NOW” button. You can book a slot like booking a movie seat.

You can still get 1U slots for 75000 USD. 1U means 10cm x 10cm x 10cm cube satellite.

even if I had the money i’d like to see it have a few successful launches under its belt

Surprisingly, Rocket Lab is named after its founder, Mark Rocket.

dv said:

Surprisingly, Rocket Lab is named after its founder, Mark Rocket.

Is his middle initial V?

I can find no reference to his middle initial

dv said:

I can find no reference to his middle initial

It was a joke – as in Mark V Rocket. V as in the Roman numeral for 5.

Yes, I got it.

Due to delays in approvals from the Christchurch council, Rocket Labs moved the launch site to Mahia Peninsula in North Island, and commenced construction in December. The rockets will now probably be manufactured in Auckland rather than Christchurch.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/290355/rocket-lab-to-move-launch-site-to-north-island
http://www.rocketlabusa.com/2015/12/