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They're targeting 500km LEO. Here are some specs from their homepage[0]: Paylod: 110kg Orbit: 500km, Sun synchronous Stages: 3 1st stage: 9x "Ru

by swatkat 12y ago

They're targeting 500km LEO. Here are some specs from their homepage[0]: Paylod: 110kg Orbit: 500km, Sun synchronous Stages: 3 1st stage: 9x "Rutherford"[1] RP/LOX engine 2nd stage: 1x "Rutherford" RP/LOX engine 3rd stage: Solid engine) Cost: $4.9M [0] http://www.rocketlabusa.com/ http://www.rocketlabusa.com/ [1] http://www.rocketlabusa.com/about-us/propulsion/rutherford/ http://www.rocketlabusa.com/about-us/propulsion/rutherford/

kephra 12y ago
Unfortunate they provide even less information to calculate the plausibility of claimed payloads and orbits then SpaceX. And we all know that SpaceX changed its specs and claims several times, and that none of those specs provide a plausible rocket, if you recalculate it. I hope Rocket Lab will do better. I just asked them for the missing specs like empty and loaded mass of each stage, maximum and minimum ISP of each stage, maximum and minimum thrust of each stage, burn time of each stage, inclination of launch site, payload, inclination, apogaeum and perigaeum of or proposed orbits.