The private American space company Rocket Lab plans to launch its own spacecraft in the second half of 2025 the first reusable Neutron rocket.
The rocket is expected to land on a floating barge in the sea. According to the company’s founder and CEO, Peter Beck, the rocket Neutron to meet growing demand for services for launching and launching payloads into space by defense, scientific and security companies and societies.
«We are working diligently to launch Neutron on one of the fastest development schedules in history for a new rocket because we know that medium payload launch capabilities are limited and access to space is difficult The debut launch of Neutron, scheduled for the end of this year, will help fill this narrow niche,» — Peter Beck emphasized.
In addition, Rocket Lab shared plans to improve the offshore platform for the Neutron lander, under the general name ««Return on Investment».
«Our new landing platform will further expand access to space, providing even more opportunities for missions that require maximum performance», — assures Rocket Lab CEO.
The company also introduced a new satellite called «Flatellite», which has a flat shape and can already be put into mass production to create individual satellite clusters. Thanks to its unusual flat shape, «Flatellite» satellites can be stacked on top of each other before launch. This will allow launching the maximum number of satellites at a time without the need to attach them to the launch vehicle body.
Peter Beck emphasized that the new satellites are a bold step by Rocket Lab on its way to becoming a full-fledged space company and competing with such industry giants as SpaceX Currently Rocket Lab launches small satellites using a two-stage Electron launch vehicle.
In particular, the Japanese satellite company Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space (iQPS) intends to use Electron to launch its own satellites as part of 8 space missions in 2025-2026.
Source: Space.com
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