Rocket Lab's first commercial satellite launch expected before end of the month

Rocket Lab's latest Electron rocket "It's Business Time" arrives at its Mahia launch site. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand's first commercial satellite launch could take place in Mahia in as little as two weeks time, US orbital launch provider Rocket Lab says.

The company confirmed a 14-day launch window would open from Friday, April 20, and Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck said the company expected to undertake "unprecedented" monthly launches by the end of the year.

The company's latest mission, named "It's Business Time", includes manifested payloads for launch customers Spire Global and GeoOptics Inc, built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, follows two previous test rocket launches from its launch complex at Onenui Station.

Licensed to launch every 72 hours, Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 at Mahia is the world's only private orbital launch facility.

Rocket Lab is the only private, dedicated small launch provider globally that has deployed satellites to orbit and the "It's Business Time" mission marks the fastest transition a private launch provider has made from test programme to fully commercial flights.

This mission follows just three months after Rocket Lab's January 21, 2018 launch "Still Testing", which successfully deployed an Earth-imaging satellite for Planet and circularised the orbit of two weather and AIS ship tracking satellites for Spire Global using Rocket Lab's in-house designed and built kick stage.

"It's Business Time represents the shift to responsive space," Mr Beck said.

"We always set out to create a vehicle and launch site that could offer the world's most frequent launch capability and we're achieving that in record time.

"Rocket Lab is the only small launch provider that has reached orbit and delivered on promises to open access to space for small satellites. We can have payloads on orbit every 72 hours and our rapidly expanding manifest shows this frequency is critical for the small satellite market."

Rocket Lab can achieve an unprecedented launch frequency thanks to a vertically integrated vehicle manufacturing process that enables Rocket Lab to roll an Electron vehicle off the production line every week, he said.

To meet a burgeoning 2018/19 launch manifest, Rocket Lab has rapidly scaled production of the Electron launch vehicle across its three-acre headquarters and production facility in Huntington Beach, California.

The company will produce 100 3D printed Rutherford engines this year to support a monthly launch cadence by the end of 2018.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said that prospect was "very exciting".

"It's a big deal what they are up to. At the moment it's just been test launches but the last test had 330 people just out at the launch viewing site (Blucks Pit Rd) - once you know you are going to get one a month or more, it's just going to get better and better."

Rocket Lab has consent to launch at least twice a month, with the possibility of even more frequent launches.

As part of consent conditions granted by Wairoa District Council once the number of launches in any 12-month period exceeds 25, 55 per cent or more of subsequent launches must take place within the hours of 8am to 11pm.