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posted by Fnord666 on Friday May 26 2017, @02:12AM   Printer-friendly
from the more-the-merrier dept.

"Made it to space. Team delighted. More to follow!" the U.S. company, founded by New Zealander Peter Beck, tweeted at 4:29 p.m. New Zealand time Thursday. It is the first test of the company's Electron Rocket from New Zealand, a country of just 4.7 million people deep in the South Pacific.

Rocket Lab aims to build a New Zealand base from which to launch small satellites into low orbit. The country is considered a prime location because rockets originating deep in the Southern Hemisphere can reach a wide range of Earth orbits.

[...] With a height of 17 meters and a diameter of 1.2 meters, and 3D-printed engines, the Electron Rocket is capable of carrying a maximum payload of 225 kilograms, according to Rocket Lab, whose investors include Lockheed Martin Corp.

Bloomberg

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 26 2017, @01:06PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 26 2017, @01:06PM (#515939)

    This is counter-balanced by the fact that you'd have to construct or ship your payload to New Zealand. Not a trivial undertaking for most of the world.