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Rocket Launch in New Zealand Brings Quick, Cheap Space Access

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Re: Rocket Launch in New Zealand Brings Quick, Cheap Space Access

#111

Post by rory096 »

wolf550e wrote: post #99
adventured wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you get to that? Their rockets are designed and manufactured in the US. Their money has largely been from the US. They're incorporated in the US. They're using US technology and engineering. That's a long ways from the minimal contribution you're implying.

see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_Lab The manufacturing is in New Zealand. I don't know about design, but I understood that design is also done in New Zealand. They received money from the US and they cooperated with NASA, and for that they needed to have facilities in the US, but I don't know how much. They now opened a second launch facility in the US, but that is not a large operation compared to design, ma…

Engines and avionics are manufactured in Huntington Beach.

https://everydayastronaut.com/inside-rocketlab/

Re: Rocket Launch in New Zealand Brings Quick, Cheap Space Access

#112

Post by JaggedNZ »

unknown_apostle wrote: post #95
djsumdog wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should totally do it, and go to Wellington. It's the best city :-P I lived there for three years and miss it. I might try to get another work visa, either to go back to Welly or Melbourne.

So same question: why did you go away, or how did you loose your work visa? For me it's a cool job in Auckland. What worries us is the distance and the logistics of bringing over our entire family... I can see myself working there, bringing over the family, and then loosing my job e.g. because of some recession and not find another job in the grace period.

If you are in IT then I would not worry to much about the job issue to much past the first job, there is still plenty of demand for skilled IT workers despite the record net migration of the last few years. However, make sure you are comfortable with housing prices / rent, particularly in the Auckland area.

Re: Rocket Launch in New Zealand Brings Quick, Cheap Space Access

#113

Post by flyingkiwi44 »

For those asking if there is demand for small rockets that can be sent up often.

"Australian start-up Fleet Space Technologies sent up two satellites ... Fleet has spent all year waiting to hitch rides on rockets from SpaceX and the Indian government ... About six weeks ago, it found out there was room on the Rocket Lab rocket. Typically, it takes months or years to get satellites ready, installed and certified for launch, but in this new era of cheap, fast space, Fleet got its hardware on board in record time."

Re: Rocket Launch in New Zealand Brings Quick, Cheap Space Access

#114

Post by unknown_apostle »

JaggedNZ wrote: post #112
unknown_apostle wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So same question: why did you go away, or how did you loose your work visa? For me it's a cool job in Auckland. What worries us is the distance and the logistics of bringing over our entire family... I can see myself working there, bringing over the family, and then loosing my job e.g. because of some recession and not find another job in the grace period.

If you are in IT then I would not worry to much about the job issue to much past the first job, there is still plenty of demand for skilled IT workers despite the record net migration of the last few years. However, make sure you are comfortable with housing prices / rent, particularly in the Auckland area.

Yeah it's a job in IT but what if demand drops? My feeling is that people in IT have gotten a bit arrogant about their employability (not just in NZ) I remember the 2001 recession :-)

But I don't mind loosing my job for a while. We would mind having to leave the country and move back halfway across the planet after having brought over our family.

Re: Rocket Launch in New Zealand Brings Quick, Cheap Space Access

#115

Post by unknown_apostle »

djsumdog wrote: post #103
unknown_apostle wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So same question: why did you go away, or how did you loose your work visa? For me it's a cool job in Auckland. What worries us is the distance and the logistics of bringing over our entire family... I can see myself working there, bringing over the family, and then loosing my job e.g. because of some recession and not find another job in the grace period.

I started with a Holiday Work visa and later applied for and got a regular work visa (was working full time in tech, so they're easy to get). eh, I left for some complicated personal reasons. I wrote a post about it if you're interested: https://khanism.org/perspective/minimalism/ edit: my visa was still good though; could have easily paid to get my work to residence or full residence visas. Kinda wish I had. :-P

Thx best of luck to you :-)

Re: Rocket Launch in New Zealand Brings Quick, Cheap Space Access

#116

Post by Gibbon1 »

neaanopri wrote: post #90
2trill2spill wrote: post #52

My favorite thing about Rocket Lab is the rocket engine they use[1]. By replacing the turbopump with a electric motor they were able to remove one of the single most complicated and expensive parts of a rocket engine. As battery densities keep increasing we should see electrically fed engines being used on bigger and bigger rockets. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutherford_(rocket_engine)

Electric turbopumps are an answer to the question: "how small can you make a commercially viable orbital rocket?" Atmospheric drag effects rocket performance less and less the larger a rocket gets (square-cube law), so that a rocket like the Space Shuttle can effectively ignore the atmosphere. Conversely, the smaller a rocket gets, the harder and harder launch gets. This is the problem Rocket Lab has decided to attac…

> Rocket Lab can never compete on bulk orbital cargo pricing.

Rocketlab business model is to compete with SpaceX on scheduling and orbits for small satellites. Not on price per Kg to orbit. That fits in with the trend to make satellites smaller.

Re: Rocket Launch in New Zealand Brings Quick, Cheap Space Access

#119

Post by Gibbon1 »

syntaxing wrote: post #87
2trill2spill wrote: post #52

My favorite thing about Rocket Lab is the rocket engine they use[1]. By replacing the turbopump with a electric motor they were able to remove one of the single most complicated and expensive parts of a rocket engine. As battery densities keep increasing we should see electrically fed engines being used on bigger and bigger rockets. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutherford_(rocket_engine)

Super interesting! I wonder if there is an orbital limit to this technology. From what I remember, Rocket labs is mainly focusing on low orbital launches. As great as batteries are, they are no where near the energy density of the propellants out there. Though the advancement of electrical pumps for rockets is super exciting!

I saw a paper that examined pressure fed, turbo pumps, and electric. Electric beats both pressure fed and turbo pumps at the size Rocket Lab is targeting. At large sizes turbines beat electric but the plumbing is much more complex and technically challenging.

I'm suspicious that electrics are viable for first stages where performance advantage is less important. For first stages the cost is linear with ISP. Where it's exponential for second and third stages. (X^2 and X^3!!) For instance the Protons's first stage specific impulse is 285, Electron rockets specific impulse is 303. That's totally comparable.

Re: Rocket Launch in New Zealand Brings Quick, Cheap Space Access

#120

Post by apendleton »

starik36 wrote: post #85
cheyne_nz wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mission Control was in Auckland.They used to be an NZ company but incorporated in the US to get a launch license as it was apparently much easier as a US company. Most of their work and staff is still in NZ

As mentioned yesterday in the live cast, design and manufacturing is happening in Huntington Beach, California, then it is shipped to New Zealand.

Engines and avionics, but the rocket bodies, fairings, etc., are made in NZ and final assembly is there. In this interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj9BncsgvuQ the CEO talks about how that has been advantageous because apparently there's a large talent pool in carbon composite fabrication in NZ, and that while there are eventually plans to also launch from the US, when they do they'll still be making bodies in NZ and shipping them, and doing final assembly with US-made engines on the US side for those launches.
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