Electron (carrier rocket)

2018: Launching

In January, 2018 the American space company Rocket Lab successfully started the first carrier rocket printed on the 3D-printer. Electron  took three companions of commercial customers into an orbit.

One of satellites intends for Planet Lab company which takes pictures of Earth from space, two others — for Spire company which collects data from space for tracking of the movement of the ships and a weather forecast.

Electron start

The oxygen-kerosene Electron rocket is created using composite materials and technology of three-dimensional printing that allows to make and start such carrier quickly enough. It weighs 10 tons and supports useful weight to 250 kg.

Besides, the rocket uses a system from lities - polymeric batteries and electric motors which allow to spend much less liquid fuel, than normal devices of a similar class.

The cost of a rocket is no more than $6.6 million. The company intends to achieve the free market price of start less than $5 million, including due to use 3D - printings. Such rocket is enough to bring small satellites to   height of 500 km above the ground, into  a sun-synchronous orbit.

It is not the first example of reduction in cost of missile launch. So the SpaceX company tests the returned  carrier rocket Falcon 9 which, unlike normal rockets, can be used  several times.

Start of Electron became an important and milestone event as Rocket Lab for the first time was succeeded to put a rocket to orbit, having started it the private spaceport for which the former livestock farm became the territory. The first test start from the peninsula was performed in May, 2017, however then a head part of the carrier did not manage to come to the set orbit. The problem was in  the system of telemetry which caused operation of a security system and  turning of a mission till  a successful completion.^[1]

Rocket Lab is going to do 50 starts a year, and in the future — on 120.

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