A new launch and the new prospects of the Rocket Lab launch vehicle

Last week, the space company Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB) once again launched a launch vehicle and announced the choice of a location for a new plant.In the coming quarters, the company may attract new customers who use the services of another space launch operator.

Rocket Lab launched an Electron rocket from a launch pad in New Zealand on February 28. She put into orbit the Japanese StriX β satellite equipped with a synthesized aperture radar. This is a spacecraft for the constellation of Synspective satellites. We should note that Rocket Lab began launching satellites for Synspective in 2020.

It is, in fact, a demonstration of the ability to deploy groups of satellites in stages using an electron rocket. Rocket Lab is already preparing for production a more powerful Neutron rocket. This rocket will give Rocket Lab access to geostationary orbits and interplanetary missions.

They chose the site for Neutron production last week. It will carry the assembly out at a factory in Virginia. The construction of the plant will begin soon, but in the meantime, specialists will develop and test unique solutions for Neutron. This rocket is smaller than the Falcon 9 series launch vehicles from SpaceX, but in some respects they planned it to be more advanced and efficient. In terms of payload capacity, Neutron is comparable to Russian Soyuz missiles.

It will be almost entirely reusable, including the fairing, which means Rocket Lab will reduce the price of launches while maintaining a high margin. According to the results of 2021 Rocket Lab, received revenue of $62.2 million (an increase of 77% year-on-year), and the order portfolio (backlog) exceeded $241 million. Customers’ interest in Rocket Lab’s capabilities is increasing.