Could this California company challenge SpaceX's Falcon 9? What to know about Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab, a spaceflight company based in California, has spent years building up a reputation as a reliable launch service provider for small satellites.
Now, though, the venture has its sights set on bigger targets: Procuring some of those lucrative government and commercial contracts that have long been the domain of Elon Musk's Texas-based SpaceX.
Maybe you've heard about Rocket Lab's diminutive Electron launch vehicle, which the company bills as the second-most active rocket in the U.S. Or maybe you've heard about its next-generation Neutron spacecraft, which could soon be making its inaugural flight from Virginia.
Whichever may be the case, here's everything to know for those interested in Rocket Lab and its future plans for spaceflight.
What is Rocket Lab?
Rocket Lab is a launch service provider and spaceflight company founded in 2006 and based in Long Beach, California.
The company operates out of three launch pads at two launch sites, including one in New Zealand and two in Virginia at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.
Rocket Lab Neutron launch date
Rocket Lab has increasingly been in the news over mounting anticipation for the first launch of its upcoming Neutron rocket.
The satellite launch vehicle is central to Rocket Lab's plans to shift from small satellite deployments to missions with heavier payloads.
But when exactly the Neutron rocket could make its orbital debut has yet to be determined.
Rocket Lab continues to work through a checklist of requirements before Neutron can get off the ground for its maiden flight. That includes integrating – or stacking – the rocket stages and getting its commercial launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration, according to the company's first-quarter earnings presentation provided to the USA TODAY Network.
The good news? Construction on infrastructure at the launch pad is on schedule, according to the report. Earlier in July, Rocket Lab also announced that the company had awarded a contract to shipbuilder Bollinger Shipyards to support the build of a 400-foot ocean landing platform named "Return On Investment."
But the challenge for Rocket Lab will be in transporting the components of the Neutron to the facility, according to the website TechCrunch. The vehicle must be shipped in segments to Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 3 in Virginia, where it will be fully mated as a rocket.
Could Neutron challenge SpaceX, Falcon 9?
Many space industry analysts have said that Neutron could emerge as a credible challenger to SpaceX's Falcon 9 in the medium-lift launch market.
Rocket Lab is developing the Neutron rocket – which already has contracts with the Department of Defense – for commercial, civil and military space operations. That includes satellite constellation deployments, cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station and interplanetary missions.
The arena is one that SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk in 2002, has dominated for years with its Falcon 9 rocket – one of the most active rockets in the world. The Falcon 9 is routinely the rocket of choice to launch NASA astronaut missions to the International Space Station and is the exclusive launch provider for Musk's Starlink satellite deliveries.
At 141-feet-tall, Neutron is smaller in stature than SpaceX's two-stage, 230-foot Falcon 9. But like the Falcon 9, Neutron is designed to be reusable so that it can launch more frequently.
Its design features an integrated system that brings Neutron's first stage and payload fairings back to Earth as a single stage. Capable of delivering about a 14-ton (more than 28,600 pounds) payload to low-Earth before landing, Neutron is powered by Rocket Lab's newly developed Archimedes engine.
Rocket Lab's emergence also comes at a time of mounting public discord between Musk and President Donald Trump.
What is Rocket Lab's Electron rocket?
Rocket Lab has already spent years reliably launching its smaller Electron rocket to deliver small satellites and other payloads to orbit for civil and commercial contractors.
At 59 feet tall, Electron is capable of carrying just 661 pounds of cargo to space, according to Rocket Lab. A version of the rocket is also tailored for Rocket Lab's hypersonic HASTE launches.
One of the two launch complexes where Electron can launch is right next door to the Neutron's new launch complex.
Since its first orbital launch in January 2018, the Electron has delivered more than 200 satellites to orbit and become one of the most frequently launched U.S. rockets, second only to the Falcon 9, according to Rocket Lab.
In June alone, the Electron launched four times on both government and commercial missions, according to Rocket Lab.
The most recent mission came June 28 when the Electron launched a single satellite to space for "a confidential commercial customer," Rocket Lab announced in a press release. The mission was the second of two launches from the same launch site in less than 48 hours, a new launch record for the company.
Is Rocket Lab a good stock to buy? Whether to invest
Unlike SpaceX, Rocket Lab is publicly traded.
While Rocket Lab's stock is up 800% over the past year, according to Forbes, the company is not yet profitable.
"A lot hinges on Rocket Lab's ability to evolve its revenue model and reach sustained profitability," Sasirekha Subramanian, an equity research content expert, wrote for Forbes.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
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