Electron (rocket)

Electron
Function Orbital launch vehicle
Manufacturer Rocket Lab
Country of origin New Zealand
Cost per launch US$4.9 million
Size
Height 17 m (56 ft)[1]
Diameter 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)[1]
Mass 10,500 kg (23,100 lb)[1]
Stages 2[1]
Capacity
Payload to 500 km SSO[1] 150–225 kg (330–495 lb)[1]
Associated rockets
Comparable Shavit, Kaituozhe-1, Unha
Launch history
Status Active
Launch sites Rocket Lab LC 1 and KSC LC-39C
Total launches 1
Successes 0
Failures 1
First flight 25 May 2017
Last flight 25 May 2017
First stage
Diameter 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)[1]
Engines 9 × Rutherford[1]
Thrust Sea level: 162 kN (36,000 lbf)[1]
Vacuum: 192 kN (43,000 lbf)[1]
Specific impulse 303 seconds (2.97 km/s)[1]
Fuel RP-1/LOX[1]
Second stage
Diameter 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)[1]
Engines 1 × Rutherford[1]
Thrust Vacuum: 22 kN (4,900 lbf) [1]
Specific impulse 333 seconds (3.27 km/s)[1]
Fuel RP-1/LOX[1]

Electron is a two-stage orbital launch vehicle developed by Rocket Lab to cover the commercial small satellite launch segment (CubeSats).[2]

In December 2016, Rocket Lab announced the Electron had completed flight qualification. The first rocket was launched on 25 May 2017,[3] reaching space but not achieving orbit.[4]

Technical details

Electron uses two stages with the same diameter (1.2 m, 3 ft 11 in) filled with RP-1/LOX propellant. It uses the electrically pump-fed Rutherford rocket engine, the first of this cycle, on both stages. It has nine on the first and one vacuum-optimized engine on the second.[5][6][7]

Intended usage

Electron is designed to launch a 150 kg (330 lb) payload to a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit for an expected US$4.9 million, a price point that the company hopes will enable one hundred launches per year.[2][8][9][10][11]

Launch history

Flight Launch date/time (UTC) Trajectory Function Payload Payload mass Outcome Remarks
"It's a Test" 25 May 2017,
04:20[12]		 Low Earth Flight test Mass simulator, plus instrumentation -- Failure The rocket successfully launched and performed first stage separation and fairing separation. After reaching an altitude of about 224 km (140 mi), telemetry was lost and the rocket was destroyed by range safety.[13][14]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Electron". Rocket Lab. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Electron". Rocket Lab. March 2016. Archived from the original on 17 July 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  3. ↑ "New Zealand space launch is first from a private site". BBC News. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "New Zealand test rocket makes it to space but not into orbit". Independent.ie. Associated Press. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  5. ↑ Brügge, Norbert. "Electron NLV". B14643.de. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  6. ↑ Brügge, Norbert. "Electron Propulsion". B14643.de. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  7. ↑ "Propulsion". Rocket Lab. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  8. ↑ "Rocket Lab Introduction" (PDF). Rocket Lab. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  9. ↑ Bradley, Grant (15 April 2015). "Rocket Lab unveils world's first battery rocket engine". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  10. ↑ Grush, Loren (15 April 2015). "A 3D-Printed, Battery-Powered Rocket Engine". Popular Science. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  11. ↑ Morring, Jr., Frank; Norris, Guy (14 April 2015). "Rocket Lab Unveils Battery-Powered Turbomachinery". Aviation Week & Space Technology. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  12. ↑ Clark, Stephen (25 May 2017). "Maiden flight of Rocket Lab’s small satellite launcher reaches space". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  13. ↑ "Rocket Lab Completes Post-Flight Analysis". Rocket Lab. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  14. ↑ Foust, Jeff (7 August 2017). "Telemetry glitch kept first Electron rocket from reaching orbit". SpaceNews. Retrieved 9 August 2017.

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