Electron - ракета компании Rocket Lab

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Rocket Lab - the next era

 Rocket Lab

Запланировано на 6 авг. 2019 г.

On August 6, 2019, Rocket Lab Founder and CEO Peter Beck will make a major company announcement and provide detail on the company's continued achievements in providing frequent and reliable access to space for small satellites.

youtube.com/watch?v=joONWIGtcdY

Начало трансляции: 06/21:55 UTC / 07/00:55 ДМВ

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Выступление началось



2-я площадка на о-ве Уоллопс

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Будет возвращаемая 1-я ступень

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Трудности и проблемы

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Пути решения: "Интеграл будем брать по частям!" (C)

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План продвижения

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Трансляция завершена

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Запись выступления П. Бека

Rocket Lab - the next era

 Rocket Lab

Трансляция началась 34 минуты назад

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https://tass.ru/kosmos/6739820

7 АВГ, 02:08
Rocket Lab осваивает технологию возвращения ступени ракеты Electron с помощью вертолета

Генеральный директор компании Питер Бек считает, что самым сложным этапом плана является "повторное прохождение через преграду" в виде экстремальных температур и перегрузок

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 7 августа. /ТАСС/. Американская компания Rocket Lab планирует в течение года освоить технологию возвращения на Землю и многократного использования отработанной первой ступни своей ракеты Electron с помощью вертолета морского базирования. Об этом сообщил в опубликованном во вторник интервью телеканалу CNBC генеральный директор Rocket Lab Питер Бек.

Он пояснил, что его компания намерена использовать иную технологию, чем SpaceX Илона Маска, первая ступень ракет которой осуществляет торможение и контроль при спуске за счет маневренных двигателей. С точки зрения Бека, подобный принцип экономически "не оправдан" для Rocket Lab. Глава компании назвал будущую технологию "аэротермальным замедлителем", который будет использовать земную атмосферу для торможения в плотных слоях.

Бек отказался раскрыть детали плана, но признал, что самым сложным его этапом является "повторное прохождение через преграду" в виде экстремальных температур и перегрузок. "Мы начинаем [возвращение ступени] на скорости в 8,5 раз больше скорости звука и потом нам требуется всего за 70 секунд затормозить до 0,01 скорости звука", - сказал он.

В идеале после этого ступень выпускает парашюты и плавно спускается до высоты, где ее с помощью специального троса с захватом подхватывает экипаж вертолета. Затем вертолет доставляет груз на платформу судна. Как сообщил Бек, компания израсходует на данный проект часть $140 млн, привлеченных в прошлом году.

Длина двухступенчатой ракеты-носителя Electron - 17 метров, диаметр - 1,2 метра, стартовая масса - 12,5 тонн. Вес полезной нагрузки ракеты - не более 225 кг. В первой ступени размещены девять двигателей Rutherford, во второй - один реактивный агрегат такой же модели.

Свою первую ракету Rocket Lab запустила в мае 2017 года, но попытка оказалась неудачной - груз так и не был доставлен на орбиту. Однако в январе прошлого года носитель справился со своей задачей и вывел в космос сферу около метра в диаметре, покрытую 65 треугольными отражателями. После первого успешного запуска компания начала принимать коммерческие заказы на отправку различных небольших аппаратов на орбиту. В общей сложности в прошлом году Rocket Lab осуществила три успешных запуска, включая один по заказу NASA.

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https://www.rocketlabusa.com/news/updates/rocket-lab-announces-reusability-plans-for-electron-rocket/

Rocket Lab Announces Reusability Plans For Electron Rocket

Rocket Lab details plans to increase launch frequency by recovering and re-launching Electron's first stage.

Huntington Beach, California. 6 August, 2019. Rocket Lab, the global leader in dedicated small satellite launch, has revealed plans to recover and re-fly the first stage of its Electron launch vehicle. The move aims to enable Rocket Lab to further increase launch frequency by eliminating the need to build a new first stage for every mission.

Work on Rocket Lab's Electron first stage reuse program began in late 2018, at the end of the company's first year of orbital launches. The plan to reuse Electron's first stage will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will see Rocket Lab attempt to recover a full Electron first stage from the ocean downrange of Launch Complex 1 and have it shipped back to Rocket Lab's Production Complex for refurbishment. The second phase will see Electron's first stage captured mid-air by helicopter, before the stage is transported back to Launch Complex 1 for refurbishment and relaunch. Rocket Lab plans to begin first stage recovery attempts in the coming year.

A major step towards Rocket Lab's reusability plans was completed on the company's most recent launch, the Make It Rain mission, which launched on 29 June from Launch Complex 1. The first stage on this mission carried critical instrumentation and experiments that provided data to inform future recovery efforts. The next Electron mission, scheduled for launch in August, will also carry recovery instrumentation.

Rocket Lab Founder and Chief Executive Peter Beck says reusing Electron's first stage will enable Rocket Lab to further increase launch frequency by reducing production time spent building new stages from scratch.

"From day one Rocket Lab's mission has been to provide frequent and reliable access to orbit for small satellites. Having delivered on this with Electron launching satellites to orbit almost every month, we're now establishing the reusability program to further increase launch frequency," says Mr. Beck. "Reusing the stage of a small launch vehicle is a complex challenge, as there's little mass margin to dedicate to recovery systems. For a long time we said we wouldn't pursue reusability for this very reason, but we've been able to develop the technology that could make recovery feasible for Electron. We're excited to put that technology into practice with a stage recovery attempt in the coming year."

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Electron Is Going Reusable

 Rocket Lab

Опубликовано: 6 авг. 2019 г.

Rocket Lab has detailed plans to recover and re-fly Electron's first stage to support increased launch frequency for small satellites.

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Интервью с ПитеромБеком от 12 августа 2015 года.
https://idealog.co.nz/venture/2017/05/mission-possible-inside-rocketlabs-big-commercial-space-venture

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/08/15/smallsat-companies-teaming-up-on-deorbit-experiment/

Smallsat companies teaming up on deorbit experiment
August 15, 2019 | Stephen Clark


Artist's concept of a satellite manufactured by Millennium Space Systems. Credit: Millennium Space Systems

TriSept Corp. has announced plans for a commercial technology demonstration mission set for launch next year on a Rocket Lab Electron vehicle to test a deployable conductive tape, made by Tethers Unlimited, that could help small satellites more quickly fall out of orbit at the end of their missions.

The Dragracer mission, announced Aug. 5, will test a Terminator Tape device developed by Tethers Unlimited, headquartered near Seattle. TriSept, based in Virginia, specializes in planning, integrating and managing small satellite missions.

The Terminator Tape is a thin extendable tether designed to generate aerodynamic drag to accelerate the re-entry of small satellites, helping to prevent the creation of space junk.

"One of the partners in the mission is Tethers Unlimited," said Jason Armstrong, director of launch integration services at TriSept, in an interview with Spaceflight Now. "They do deployable tether devices, which are stored energy structures. When it's deployed, it changes the overall structure of the spacecraft, thereby changing the drag."

Millennium Space Systems, owned by Boeing and based in El Segundo, California, will assemble the 55-pound (25-kilogram) spacecraft for the Dragracer mission. TriSept officials said the suitcase-sized spacecraft will be built on the Raptor satellite bus, based on a 12U CubeSat form factor.

The Dragracer spacecraft will launch in early 2020 on a rideshare mission aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket with several other small satellites, Armstrong said.

Small satellites have tested de-orbit devices before, including drag sails and tethers. But many of those satellites tested their de-orbit systems at the end of their missions, sometimes months or years after launch. Experiments using tethers in space have produced mixed results, and many tethers have failed to extend once in orbit.

Armstrong said launching a dedicated tech demo mission, like Dragracer, allows engineers to "realize the benefits of it immediately."

"Rather than it being attached to a spacecraft, being launched and flying a three-to-five-year mission, and then deploying this mechanism and see what we get as a result, the (Dragracer) mission ... is completely about the demonstration," he said.

The Dragracer satellite will split into two nearly identical pieces after launch. One half of the spacecraft carries the Terminator Tape, and the other does not, allowing engineers to compare how their altitudes change over time.

"Immediately upon separation from the launch vehicle, the two halves of the spacecraft will come part from each other, and then we can deploy the tether on one half of the spacecraft and get immediate data that we can then characterize the capability of the system," Armstrong said.

The Electron rocket will deliver the Dragracer mission to a polar orbit roughly 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth, below the altitude of the International Space Station. After a few days in space, the tether will extend to a length of about 820 feet (250 meters). The tape measures about 1.5 to 2 inches wide, Armstrong said.

Gravity gradient forces will pull the tether in a vertical orientation, stabilizing the satellite's attitude and increasing drag.

A preflight analysis predicts the Terminator Tape will allow the spacecraft with the tether to re-enter the atmosphere and burn up within two-to-four weeks, while the other satellite — acting as a control in the experiment — is expected to re-enter in eight-to-12 months, according to Armstrong.

Engineers want to learn which types of de-orbit devices work best for certain types of satellites.

"What we're intending to do is to get actual flight data to substantiate that analysis, and then you can use scale factors to know what size of deployable tether or drag mechanism you would need to install for a specific size of spacecraft in order to get the re-entry timeline that you want," Armstrong said.


A Terminator Tape engineering model. Credit: Tethers Unlimited

For the Dragracer mission, TriSept is in charge of integrating the spacecraft with the Electron launch vehicle, and also procures the dispenser to house and eject the satellite during the launch sequence.

"I would say that with the Terminator Tape approach, the benefit that it has is it's a much smaller volume and mass," Armstrong said. "And it's very much less complex as far as the capabilities that you have to have for actuating it and deploying the system. On-board, all we have to have is a small timer circuit with a little battery in it. That's very attractive ... You're not introducing risk or any highly complex systems."

"This rideshare mission slated for launch aboard our Rocket Lab Electron is very significant as Millennium Space Systems, supported by TriSept's seasoned launch integration team, tackles one of the biggest challenges facing our industry today," said Lars Hoffman, senior vice president of global launch services at Rocket Lab, in a statement. "We look forward to working closely with these two space industry innovators in preparation for an exciting milestone launch of the Dragracer orbital debris initiative."

Assuming the Terminator Type experiment produces good results, Armstrong said: "I think it could stand alone on its own as a feasible system for the small satellite community."

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Rocket Lab‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 4 мин. назад

This fairing is almost ready to house the payload for our next mission. Our 9th Electron launch is just a few weeks away. Details coming soon.

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Rocket Lab ‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 15 мин. назад

We put Electron through its paces before each and every launch to help ensure mission success. Our most recent stage test completes an important milestone in the countdown to our next launch in just a few weeks. Launch window dates and mission info coming soon!

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Peter Beck‏ @Peter_J_Beck 21 мин. назад

Flight 9 is at the pad! Launch update soon.

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https://www.rocketlabusa.com/news/updates/rocket-lab-readies-launch-complex-2-for-electron-launches-from-u-s-soil/

Rocket Lab Readies Launch Complex 2 for Electron Launches Fr om U.S. Soil

Rocket Lab Readies Launch Complex 2 for Electron Launches From U.S. Soil

Wallops Island, Virginia. 18 September 2019 – Rocket Lab, the global leader in dedicated small satellite launch, and Virginia Space at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), have completed a major construction milestone ahead of the first Electron launch from U.S. soil. The recent installation of the launch platform at Rocket Lab's second launch site, Launch Complex 2, marks one of the final steps in the construction of the new pad being built by the Rocket Lab and Virginia Space teams.


Construction on Launch Complex 2, located at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Virginia, began in February 2019. In the few months since then, more than 1,400 cubic yards of concrete have been poured to create the pad on which Electron's launch platform is mounted. The 66 ton launch platform was installed into its final position this month, ready for the 44 foot, 7.6 ton strongback to be mounted to the platform in coming weeks. Both the launch platform and strongback were built by Steel America in Norfolk, Virginia. The launch site largely mirrors Rocket Lab's first launch location, Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, wh ere the Electron launch vehicle transports horizontally down the launch ramp, and then is lifted vertically by the strongback to be ready for launch.

In the coming weeks, work will focus on final build and integration of various launch pad systems that will process, load propellant into, and launch Electron. The final step in the completion of the site is integration and test activities, which is expected to be complete by December 2019. Once the site is complete, work begins on testing, commissioning, and integration at the launch site in preparation for the first Electron launch from U.S. soil in early 2020.

Rocket Lab's Vice President of Launch Shaun D'Mello says the completion of the launch platform is a significant step in enabling Electron launch from U.S. soil.

"I'm immensely proud of the Rocket Lab team here at Launch Complex 2 and continuously impressed by the drive and dedication of the Virginia Space, MARS, and NASA teams, as well as our many local suppliers, as we've worked together to build a launch site in record time. We're now entering an exciting period of testing and commissioning to get Launch Complex 2 ready for its first Electron launch in early 2020," said Mr. D'Mello.

David Pierce, Director at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, said: "NASA is actively advancing all aspects of small spacecraft missions to the greatest national benefit, and Rocket Lab's progress on Launch Complex 2 over the past several months has been nothing short of incredible. The company's Electron rocket helps fill a key national need for providing more – and more frequent – launch opportunities for small satellites, and NASA's Launch Range at GSFC/Wallops, which has enabled commercial space operations for decades, is poised and ready to support these missions."

Dale Nash, CEO and Executive Director of Virginia Space, said: "Emplacement of the launch mount is a major milestone on our march toward completion of Launch Complex 2 in less than 12 months.  It is a remarkable partnership we have developed with Rocket Lab, NASA, DoD, and the supplier base from Virginia to New Zealand and back again.  The first launch of the Electron from Launch Complex 2 at MARS on Wallops Island is just over the horizon – you can almost hear the roar, and see the smoke and fire."

In addition to the launch site itself, Virginia Space has started construction on a new Integration and Control Facility (ICF) located within the Wallops Research Park to support the Rocket Lab team in Virginia. The ICF will house multiple Electron launch vehicles for pre-launch integration and will be home to Launch Complex 2 Range Control operations, payload integrations cleanrooms, and administrative offices.  Once fully operational, Launch Complex 2 is expected to employ up to 30 people in engineering, launch safety, and administrative positions.

Launch Complex 2 is Rocket Lab's second launch site and will supplement launch availability out of Rocket Lab's existing site, Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula. Launch Complex 1 is the world's only private orbital launch site and is licensed for up to 120 launches per year, offering unmatched launch schedule flexibility for small satellite operators. Launch Complex 2 can support up to 12 launches per year and is tailored specifically for government missions. The launch customer for the first Electron mission from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 will be announced in late 2019.

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Rocket Lab‏ Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab[/COLOR] 6 ч. назад

Exciting times at Launch Complex 2! Just 7 months after work began on our 2nd launch site, we've installed Electron's launch platform. It's one of the final pieces of infrastructure to be installed before integration and testing begins. Full update here: https://bit.ly/2ksXneu 

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 Rocket Lab‏ Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 2 ч. назад

Since our first orbital launch in January 2018, LC-1 has been host to many launches for commercial and government missions. Electron has launched 39 satellites to orbit and counting. Our next mission is less than three weeks away. Here's to many more!