The New Zealand-based rocket firm Rocket Lab, which is building a new very small launch vehicle called Electron has declared what its launch prices will be for customers wanting to loft cubesat size payloads into a 45 degree inclination low Earth orbit as well as to near polar sun-synchronous orbits. The prices are as follows:
- US$50,000 – US$90,000 for a 1U cube satellite launch
- US$180,000 – US$250,000 for a 3U cube satellite launch
Rocket Lab reports that its early flights are nearly full up, with many flights over 80 percent full first three years of launch operations. Like airlines, the firm plans to offer differential prices including probable discounts to the standard rate plan for early bookers, while late arrivals may have to pay more or less depending on how full the flight is.
The Electron rocket is an entirely carbon-composite vehicle including its tankage that uses Rocket Lab’s Rutherford engines for its main propulsion system. Rocket Lab recently announced the Rutherford engine makes use of electric turbo-pumps and that the majority of its components are 3D printed.
Electron is 16m in length, 1.2m in diameter and has a lift-off mass of 12,800 kg. The vehicle is capable of delivering payloads of up to 150 kg to a 500km sun-synchronous orbit, which is the target range for the high growth constellation-satellite market. With a dedicated launch priced at $4.9 million, the firm claims that the Electron is the most affordable small satellite launch vehicle on the market.
The firm plans to launch the rocket with its first flight later this year from Kaitorete Spit, a narrow strip of land on New Zealand’s South island between Lake Ellesmere and the Pacific Ocean. Launches would be made in a southerly direction to orbits ranging from 45 degrees to 98 degrees. Rocket lab is building a launch infrastructure including a hanger, propellant tankage, and basic pad and erector tower to eventually allow weekly flights.
(Editor’s note: thank you to Jos Heyman/Tiros Space Information for details on the Electron launch site)
