Rocket Lab Returns Previously Flown Electron to Production Line in Preparation for First Reflight
10 April 2024 - 2:30PM
Business Wire
The carbon composite first stage tank from the
Electron rocket, successfully launched and recovered in January
this year, has entered back into the standard Electron production
line to undergo final acceptance testing and qualification ahead of
reflight.
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the
Company”) today announced it is returning a previously flown
Electron rocket first stage tank into the Electron production line
for the first time in preparation for reflying the stage. The step
is a significant milestone in Rocket Lab’s development program to
make Electron the world’s first reusable small orbital launch
vehicle.
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An Electron rocket that delivered
satellites into orbit in January 2024 for Spire and NorthStar has
returned to Rocket Lab's production line for final acceptance
testing and eventual reflight, a milestone in the company's efforts
to increase launch cadence by reusing the booster's first stage.
(Photo: Business Wire)
Rocket Lab has successfully recovered multiple Electron first
stages from previous missions by returning them to Earth under a
parachute after launch, splashing them down in the ocean, then
collecting them onto a specially modified boat for transfer back to
Rocket Lab’s production complex. All previously recovered boosters
have undergone extensive analysis to inform an iterative
development process to make Electron reusable, but this is the
first time a tank has been moved back onto the standard production
line in preparation for reflight.
The stage was successfully launched and recovered as part of the
‘Four of a Kind’ mission on 31 January 2024 and has already passed
more acceptance tests than any other recovered Electron stage,
including:
- Tank pressurization test – a process that filled the carbon
composite tank with inert gas and held it in excess of maximum
operating pressure for more than 20x longer than the standard
Electron flight duration;
- Helium leak check – a stringent process that determines there
are no leaks in the tank; and
- Carbon fiber structural testing – including ultrasonic
assessment and other non-destructive tests to confirm no
delamination of the carbon composite tank fibers.
The stage will now undergo final fit out and rigorous
qualification and acceptance testing to the same standard as a
brand-new Electron tank to determine the recovered stage’s
suitability for reflight.
“Through an iterative development process, we have methodically
perfected each step of Electron recovery while simultaneously
continuing to increase our Electron production capacity and launch
cadence. This is the exciting final piece of the puzzle before
Electron goes reusable,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter
Beck. “Our key priority in pushing this stage back into the
standard production flow for the first time is to ensure our
systems and qualification processes are fit for accepting pre-flown
boosters at scale. If this stage successfully passes and is
accepted for flight, we’ll consider opportunities for reflying it
in the new year.”
Rocket Lab has carried out iterative modifications across
multiple recovery missions to hone the recovery process ahead of
first reflight, including:
- Ensuring Electron’s carbon composite structure survives the
intense heat and forces of atmospheric reentry through innovative
coatings, heat shields, and advanced reaction control systems to
control the angle of reentry;
- Refining the parachute system to ensure reliable deployment and
smooth deceleration from more than 2,300 meters per second to 10
meters per second;
- Honing the telemetry and tracking systems so the marine
recovery team can locate the stage as soon as it splashes
down;
- Streamlining the process of collecting the stage from the water
in less than an hour, then ensuring safe transit back to the Rocket
Lab production complex; and
- Successful launch of a previously flown Rutherford engine.
The payload scheduled to launch on the recovered stage will be
announced following the completion of final acceptance and
qualification testing.
+ About Rocket Lab
Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with
an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable
launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and
on-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier, and more
affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long Beach,
California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small
orbital launch vehicle, the Photon satellite platform, and the
Company is developing the large Neutron launch vehicle for
constellation deployment. Since its first orbital launch in January
2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second
most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered
180+ satellites to orbit for private and public sector
organizations, enabling operations in national security, scientific
research, space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate
monitoring, and communications. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft
platform has been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and
Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus.
Rocket Lab has three launch pads at two launch sites, including two
launch pads at a private orbital launch site located in New Zealand
and a third launch pad in Virginia. To learn more, visit
www.rocketlabusa.com.
+ Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by
the safe harbor provisions for forward looking statements contained
in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements contained in
this press release other than statements of historical fact,
including, without limitation, statements regarding our launch and
space systems operations, launch schedule and window, safe and
repeatable access to space, Neutron development, operational
expansion and business strategy are forward-looking statements. The
words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “potential,”
“continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “strategy,” “future,”
“could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “target,” and similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements,
though not all forward-looking statements use these words or
expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees,
but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or
achievements to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by the
forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the
factors, risks and uncertainties included in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, as such
factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), accessible on
the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the Investor Relations section
of our website at www.rocketlabusa.com, which could cause our
actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the
forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such
forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates as of
the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such
forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim
any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views
to change.
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+ Rocket Lab Media Contact Morgan Bailey
media@rocketlabusa.com
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