Rocket
Lab
announced
it
will
build
and
operate
an
orbital
launch
site.
The
company
plans
to
build
the
launch
site
on
Kaitorete
Spit
in
the
Canterbury
region
of
New
Zealand’s
South
Island,
which
will
be
used
to
launch
Rocket
Lab’s
Electron
launch
vehicle
designed
to
deliver
small
satellites
to
Low
Earth
Orbit.
“Creating
and
operating
our own
launch site
is a
necessity to
meet the
demands of
our growing
customer
manifest,”
said Peter
Beck, Rocket
Lab CEO. “At
present, the
lead-times
for
satellite
launches are
years, and
small
satellite
companies
cannot reach
orbit in
timeframes
that keep
their
businesses
competitive.
With the
launch
frequency
possible
from this
site, Rocket
Lab is one
major step
closer to
its goal of
making space
commercially
accessible.”
Rocket
Lab’s
customers—who
have
previously
been unable
to absorb
the
considerable
cost of
dedicated
launch
services—will
use the
launch site
to launch
imaging and
communications
satellites
used for
services,
including
weather
monitoring,
crop
optimisation,
natural
disaster
management,
maritime
information,
search and
rescue data,
GPS and
internet
from space,
among
others.
Despite
being
headquartered
in the
United
States,
Rocket Lab
has selected
a New
Zealand
launch
location, as
it offers
technical,
logistical
and economic
advantages.
The
location,
which has
been used
for
suborbital
flights by
NASA in the
past, can
reach a wide
range of
inclinations
from
sun-synchronous
through to
45 degrees.
“New
Zealand’s
access to
high
inclination
and
sun-synchronous
orbits are
ideal for
small
satellites,”
said Beck.
“Operational
logistics
are made
easier due
to New
Zealand’s
minimal air
and sea
traffic,
which
enables a
significantly
more
frequent
launch rate
and
economies of
scale.”
The site
is due to be
completed in
the fourth
quarter of
2015, after
which it
will be
ready for
the first
test flight
of the
Electron
vehicle.
While
Kaitorete
Spit will be
Rocket Lab’s
primary
launch site,
the company
is also
evaluating
additional
New Zealand
sites and
already
established
launch sites
in the
United
States in
order to
meet
customer
demand.
