Rocket Lab Electron rocket reaches orbit with first successful commercial launch
Rocket Lab is another of the private space companies that have promised to make putting satellites into orbit less costly for business around the world. Rocket Lab uses a rocket it calls Electron to put satellites into orbit, and its goal is to make each launch cost about $5.7 million. Saturday marked the first commercial launch for the Electron rocket as it pushed seven spacecraft into orbit.
The launch marks the start of Rocket Lab's push towards putting a rocket into orbit each week. The first successful test of the Electron rocket came in January of this year. Its first commercial launch was to have happened months back but was delayed due to a "motor control" issue with the rocket.
Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck tweeted after launch "Perfect flight" and noted that "Orbital accuracy was exquisite." While the Electron rocket is designed for lower cost access to space, its smaller size does mean that the payload size is limited. Electron can put payloads up to the size of a refrigerator into orbit.
The catch for Rocket Lab's customers is that the cost of putting a payload into space on a rocket where the payload is the sole occupant is more expensive than using a SpaceX Falcon 9 and hitching a ride with other payloads. The next Rocket Lab launch is set for December, and the company has another 16 launches planned for 2019 so far. The 18 total launches planned so far gives Rocket Lab about $3 billion in revenue in the pipeline.
Rocket Lab's second orbital Electron mission #ItsBusinessTime. A successful launch and more payloads on orbit. We're opening access to space. pic.twitter.com/0HgJ1aNtdS
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) November 11, 2018
The company has designed its factories in New Zealand and California to build one rocket per week. The company plans to be ready to launch rockets weekly in 2020. The plan, according to Beck, is to try one launch per month to start in 2019, then to move to one launch every two weeks.