Above and Beyond
Named New Zealand Ernst and Young entrepreneur of the year 2016 and New Zealand innovator of the year 2015 , Peter Beck started Rocket Lab in 2006 with the goal of removing the barriers to commercial space . Rocket Lab is a U . S . company with a New Zealand subsidiary .
Rocket Lab aims to use innovations in rocket technology , plus quick life cycles ( rapid development cycles ), to launch rockets up to a 100 times a year . Rocket Lab innovations include the Electron Rocket and the Rutherford Engine .
The Nano-satellites called “ cubesats ” are launched by Rocket Lab for four main purposes : weather prediction , real time maps , globally increased high speed Internet and analysis of the human impact on the environment .
The Electron Rocket is 17 metres high with a diameter of 1.2 metres . The nominal payload that one Electron Rocket can carry is 150kg . The Electron Rocket is optimized to take small payloads , at a cost of only 5 million dollars as opposed to the 56 million dollar that it currently costs other space programmes , a 91 % saving . It has just become far more affordable to send satellites and rockets into space commercially .
Every Electron Rocket is made from carbon composite because it is light and strong and can withstand higher temperatures than regular heat conducting materials . The Electron is a two stages rocket . The first stage is powered by nine Rutherford Engines , at its peak the rocket produces
192 kilo newton of thrust ( approximately 19579 kg ).
The second stage happens when the part of the Electron Rocket with the nine Rutherford Engines dismantles from the second part with the Rutherford Vacuum Engine . The Rutherford Vacuum Engine ensures a safe and swift journey to the Lower-Earth orbit .
The Rutherford Engine is specifically designed for the Electron launch vehicle . The fuel is liquid oxygen and RP-1 ( refined petroleum ), which is a very refined kerosene . The components of the engine are made by 3D printing , meaning that the whole engine can be built in just 3 days . The Rutherford Engine uses an entirely new propulsion system , it uses brushless DC motors and high performance lithium polymer batteries to drive its turbo-pumps .
The Electron uses two types of Rutherford Engine , a sea level and a vacuum engine . The only difference between these engines are the nozzle shapes . The nozzle shape of the vacuum engine is tailored to suit the vacuum conditions outside Earth ’ s atmosphere .
The Māhia peninsula located in the Wairoa District , is New Zealand ’ s rocket hub . Rocket Lab ’ s Launch Complex 1 is located at the tip of the Māhia peninsula and was officially opened on the 27 September 2016 .
Space just opened for business .