News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Rocket Lab Unveils Plans for New 8-Ton Class Reusable Rocket. Parent comment

Re:Rocket Lab Unveils Plans for New 8-Ton Class Reusable Rocket by rrss on Monday March 01, 2021 @11:51AM (#26304775)
Rocketlab does have "real world results" - they've launched customer payloads to orbit 18 times in the last few years. AFAIK, blue origin has not achieved orbit, and virgin orbit is still doing (years-delayed?) demonstration missions (which have achieved orbit), so I don't think it makes sense to lump all "not spacex" together.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Rocket Lab Unveils Plans for New 8-Ton Class Reusable Rocket by Gibbon1 on Monday March 01, 2021 @03:12PM (#26307751)
Interesting thing to me is they haven't had any failures of primary components either. 18 launches, 10 engines per rocket, 180 total, no failures as far as I've read.

Don't know if they are going to stay with the electric pump-fed engine design or not for the neutron.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Rocket Lab Unveils Plans for New 8-Ton Class Reusable Rocket by jryle70 on Tuesday March 02, 2021 @04:43AM (#26313540)
They had one mission failure last year that destroyed all payloads:

https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/31/rocket-lab-identifies-...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Rocket Lab Unveils Plans for New 8-Ton Class Reusable Rocket by Gibbon1 on Wednesday March 03, 2021 @12:32PM (#26331677)
Yeah but that was far as I understand a loose connector.

I think my thought is that with conventional turbopumps you're uncomfortably close to fatigue and thermal limits. Where with electric pumps you may much farther way.

[ Parent | on HN ]