5 ms·

So... are these guys actually going to be able put up a payload and also is there anything really unique about what they're doing? 100kg seems like a pretty sma

So... are these guys actually going to be able put up a payload and also is there anything really unique about what they're doing? 100kg seems like a pretty small satellite for a $5MM launch, though I must confess my ignorance of such matters for commercial launch systems.

olympus 12y ago
100 kg is small compared to some of the behemoths floating around up there. The Milstar satellites that provided high reliability communications for the USA were 4,500 kg each. GPS satellites are over 1,500 kg and are in MEO, which is higher than LEO but lower than GEO. But a lot of smaller companies don't need gargantuan satellites like that and can get a lot done with 100 kg. If you only need to put one or two satellites up it is not cost effective to spend lots of money on a large launch vehicle, so you buy space on another launch that has spare capacity and is launching at a compatible time/inclination. When you do that, you are not given priority and will have to wait if the #1 priority delays the launch for any reason. So Rocketlab can capture a market segment by letting small companies have their own launches. It's kind of like getting the individual packets of ketchup from McDonald's vs the family size bottle of ketchup from the grocery store. Sure, the family size gets you more ketchup for your dollar, but you don't normally need that much.
patrickyeon 12y ago
I work for Planet Labs, and our satellites are 5kg[1] each, providing 3-5m ground-resolution imaging. You can do a lot with relatively little mass these days. 1: http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/flock-1.htm http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/flock-1.htm
pkinsky 12y ago
They could be attempting to demo their 3d-printing technology with the smallest launch system possible. I imagine their competitive edge is in manufacturing, and they could be looking for an eventual partnership with a bigger player.

olympus 12y ago

100 kg is small compared to some of the behemoths floating around up there. The Milstar satellites that provided high reliability communications for the USA were 4,500 kg each. GPS satellites are over 1,500 kg and are in MEO, which is higher than LEO but lower than GEO. But a lot of smaller companies don't need gargantuan satellites like that and can get a lot done with 100 kg. If you only need to put one or two satellites up it is not cost effective to spend lots of money on a large launch vehicle, so you buy space on another launch that has spare capacity and is launching at a compatible time/inclination. When you do that, you are not given priority and will have to wait if the #1 priority delays the launch for any reason. So Rocketlab can capture a market segment by letting small companies have their own launches. It's kind of like getting the individual packets of ketchup from McDonald's vs the family size bottle of ketchup from the grocery store. Sure, the family size gets you more ketchup for your dollar, but you don't normally need that much.

patrickyeon 12y ago

I work for Planet Labs, and our satellites are 5kg[1] each, providing 3-5m ground-resolution imaging. You can do a lot with relatively little mass these days. 1: http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/flock-1.htm http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/flock-1.htm

pkinsky 12y ago

They could be attempting to demo their 3d-printing technology with the smallest launch system possible. I imagine their competitive edge is in manufacturing, and they could be looking for an eventual partnership with a bigger player.