Rocket Lab is now gearing up for its first fully-commercial launch, named as Its Business Time. Under the mission, the company will launch its Electron rocket on 19th April 2018 from its Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula located in New Zealand. This is the world’s only private launch facility. The rocket will carry the payload for Spiral Global and GeoOptics. Both are developed by Tyvak Nano-Satellite System. As per the sources, there will be three satellites which will help the scientists to acquire accurate weather data.
This will be the third Electron rocket launch of the company. The second Electron rocket was launched three months ago and it was named as Still Testing. In that mission, Electron rocket carried four satellites into Earth’s orbit which included two CubeSats for Spire to collect ship tracking and weather data, a CubeSat for Planet and a geodesic sphere called Humanity Star. It first two missions were named as It’s a Test and Still Testing. As the company is now moving toward the commercial mission, it has named the mission as It’s Business Time.
Peter Beck, Founder and CEO of Rocket Lab stated, “We always set out to develop a vehicle and launch site that can offer the world’s most frequently launch capability and we are achieving that in time.” It is the only company that has provided the launch facility and reached the orbit and has made it possible for a small rocket to access the space.
The 55 feet long two-stage rocket has nine Rutherford engines in its first stage which can generate around 162 kilo-newtons of thrusts. In its second stage, it has a vacuum-optimized Rutherford engine which will produce 22 kilo-newtons of thrust. In future, Rocket Lab will send around 10 satellite for NASA, officials stated.