Composite rocket promises low-cost launches
US Aerospace company Rocket Lab (Los Angeles, CA) is developing a world-first launch vehicle to deliver satellites into orbit cheaper and faster than ever before. The vehicle will make extensive use of carbon composites.
Rocket Lab is building the world’s first carbon composite launch vehicle at its Auckland, New Zealand facility. The development of Electron will reportedly reduce the price of delivering a satellite into orbit. At a cost of less than $5 million, this represents a drastic cost reduction compared to existing dedicated launch services. The average price of a dedicated launch service is $133 million according to Launches 2014: A Review of 2013 Launches and Payloads by The Tauri Group (Alexandria, VA).
The lead-time for businesses to launch a satellite will also reportedly be reduced from years down to weeks through vertical integration with Rocket Lab’s private launch facility. Rocket Lab has already garnered strong commercial demand with commitments for its first 30 launches.