Business time at rocket lab

‘That a customer can come to us seeking a ride to orbit, and we can have them booked to launch in weeks, is unheard of in the launch business’ — Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck

Rocket Lab has announced a new launch window for the third flight of its Electron rocket.

The rocket, named It’s Business Time, is on Launch Complex 1 at Mahia and “gearing up”.

The 14-day launch window opens this Saturday and extends to Friday July 6, with daily launch opportunities occurring between 12.30 and 4.30pm.

Originally scheduled for between April 20 and May 3, the launch window for the third flight was moved after unusual behaviour was identified in a motor controller during a wet dress rehearsal.

The launch team stood down launch operations in order to review the data, identify the root cause of the issue and fix the failure.

The two-month delay to Electron’s third flight has allowed Rocket Lab to add additional payloads to the mission.

Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck says the addition of new payloads to the mission manifest highlights Rocket Lab’s ability to respond rapidly to customer demand in an ever-evolving small satellite market.

“Rocket Lab’s responsive space model is crucial to support the exponential growth of the small satellite market.

“That a customer can come to us seeking a ride to orbit, and we can have them booked to launch in weeks, is unheard of in the launch business.

“Frequent access to orbit is the key to unlocking the potential for these satellites, and Rocket Lab is the only small launch provider enabling this access,” he says.

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 is the world’s only private orbital launch facility and the site is licensed to launch every 72 hours.

Complex 1 is not visible during a launch from any publicly-accessible point on the Mahia Peninsula and limitations will apply to the airspace over the site.Due to the likelihood of postponed or scrubbed launches, Rocket Lab recommends viewing a launch via video livestream, which will be made available 15 minutes prior to a launch attempt and can be accessed though Rocket Lab’s website or YouTube channel.