Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck unveiled the design details of the new medium range booster, the rocket Neutron, in a video briefing last December 2 and it is expected that this will make its first flight in 2024.
Rocket Lab’s plans for its largest rocket promise to bring the reusability at a higher level, complete with a “Hungry Hippo” nose cone designed for a easier recovery and reuse.
First introduced in March, Neutron will consist of two upgrade phases.
The first stage features an integrated four-blade payload fairing that opens into orbit like a flower to release the second stage carrying the load; the entire first stage, including the fairing, is designed not only to be completely reusable but also to allow for an almost immediate relaunch.
The second stage delivering payloads to their target orbits is currently expendable.
In a previous interview, Beck told our colleagues of Space.com that the Neutron rocket will function more like a plane than today’s rocket and will require a minimum of maintenance between flights. During the presentation on December 2, he elaborated exactly how Rocket Lab intends to achieve its objective, carrying out several excavations simultaneously with the SpaceX competitor.
“This is a reusable launch vehicle, so it means it’s going to land. So you don’t want any deployable landing legs, you want a nice, big, wide static base. It is also very important to be able to return the vehicle to the launch site, not expensive barges in the middle of the ocean. “
Beck said in the presentation, referring to the landing gear of SpaceX’s Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and Starship Vehicles, all equipped with movable legs.
How Rocket Lab’s Neutron rocket is composed
The Neutron rocket 3D printed carbon fiber will feature a new engine called Archimedes, which will burn methane and liquid oxygen, one of the most sustainable rocket fuel combinations available, according to rocket propulsion scientists.
Seven Archimedes engines will power the first stage of the Neutron rocket, providing 1 meganewton of thrust each, while the second stage will be based on a single vacuum-optimized Archimedes engine, Rocket Lab said in a statement.
The combination of ultralight carbon fiber and an optimized aerodynamic body will allow Rocket Lab to reduce the weight of the rocket, which it will allow engines to operate at low cost and with higher margins, the company said.
“Neutron’s lightweight carbon composite construction means Archimedes doesn’t need the immense performance and complexity typically associated with larger rockets and their propulsion systems. By developing a simple engine with modest performance requirements, the timing for development and testing can be dramatically accelerated. “
Rocket Lab said in a statement.
The company said both the rocket’s body and engine will be 3D printed using a technique called automated fiber placement, which can produce the entire engine in one day.
The Neutron rocket will be optimized to bring batches of megaconstellations into orbit, but it will also have features to accommodate human spaceflight.
During the presentation, Beck referred to the Neutron rocket as a “rocket of 2050,” suggesting Rocket Lab’s ambition to play a greater role in the future of space travel.
The Neutron rocket will be 40 meters (130 feet) tall and have a base of 7 meters (23 feet) in diameter, with each booster weighing 490 tons at launch. The rocket will be able to lift 8 tons (18,000 pounds or 8,000 kilograms) into low Earth orbit, the first 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) of space above Earth, in reusable mode, Beck said.
Rocket Lab also claimed that the rocket could launch humans and payloads to the moon and Mars, the maximum capacity for a lunar trip is 2,000 kg (4,400 lbs).
When it was first announced, the Neutron rocket was a surprise deviation from Rocket Lab’s previous strategy that focused on expandable micro-launchers serving the small satellite market.
In the past, Beck himself has said the company had no interest in reusability or big rockets and even promised to “bite your hat” if the company pursued them in the future. The company’s first rocket, called Electron, is currently an expendable launch vehicle for small payloads up to 300kg (660lb), though the company hopes to reuse its first stage as well.
In a video in March of this year, in which he first unveiled plans to build Neutron, Beck actually ate a piece of a mixed baseball cap.
In August of this year, Rocket Lab completed a merger with investment firm Vector Acquisition Corporation in a move designed to help access financing for Neutron’s development. The company went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange shortly thereafter.
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