Vector, Virginia Space announce upcoming orbital launches from Wallops
This past week, it was announced that nanosatellite launch service provider Vector had inked a deal with the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (more commonly known as Virginia Space) to conduct three commercial flights out of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) over the course of the next two years with possibly five additional launches in the offing.
The agreement was announced by Virginia State Governor Terry McAuliffe with an "engineering unit" of the company's Vector-R launch vehicle being transported from the company's headquarters located in Tucson, Arizona, to MARS. Along for the journey was a Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) – used to erect the rocket into the vertical position.
Vector will also conduct a series of ground and simulated propellant loading operations with the engineering unit and TEL.
Vector is hoping to launch satellites at a cost of $2-3 million per launch using the Vector-R rocket.
MARS is a pretty bad name for a spaceport in Virginia.
Related Stories
Is there room for launch companies smaller than the United Launch Alliance and SpaceX?
Vector Space Systems successfully launched a full-scale model of its Vector-R rocket on Wednesday in Mojave, California. The test flight, which remained under 50,000 feet for regulatory purposes, allows the company to remain on track to begin providing launch services for small satellites in 2018, said Jim Cantrell, the company's chief executive and cofounder.
The Arizona-based rocket company is one of a handful of competitors racing to the launch pad to provide lower-cost access to space for small satellites. These satellites are generally under 500kg in mass and often much smaller (the industry trend is toward smaller, lighter, more capable satellites). The Vector-R rocket will eventually be capable of launching a payload of up to 45kg to an orbit of 800km above the Earth. Other companies trying to reach this market include US-based Virgin Orbit and New Zealand-based Rocket Lab. Neither company has begun commercial launches.
[...] The market seems ready for micro-launchers. For now, smaller payloads must typically "share" rides to space on larger rockets, and they cannot count on a launch date. Instead of being treated as excess cargo, Vector intends to offer these small satellites the capability to launch within three months of demand. Vector will launch these small payloads into any desired orbit from Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska or Cape Canaveral in Florida. Launch costs will range from $2 million to $3 million.
Also at NASASpaceFlight.
Rocket Lab to launch second orbital-class rocket as soon as next week
Rocket Lab's Electron rocket is designed to carry small satellites to orbit, targeting a market niche microsatellite owners say is currently under-served by larger, more expensive boosters. Using nine first stage engines and a single upper stage powerplant, the rocket can deliver up to 330 pounds (150 kilograms) of payload to at 310-mile-high (500-kilometer) sun-synchronous polar orbit.
The upcoming launch will be the second by an Electron rocket. The Electron's inaugural test flight May 25 reached space after a successful first stage burn and second stage ignition, but a data reception error with ground tracking equipment prompted an early termination of the mission for safety reasons.
[...] Backed by U.S. and New Zealand venture capital funds, and investment from the New Zealand government and U.S. aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, Rocket Lab says it will sell future Electron rocket missions for $4.9 million per flight. The Electron is sized to provide a dedicated ride for small satellites that today must ride piggyback on bigger launchers.
According to SpaceFlightNow's Launch Schedule: "Launch window: 0130-0530 GMT on 8th (8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. EST on 7th/8th)
Previously: Rocket Lab Unveils "Electric" Rocket Engine
Moon Express and Rocket Lab Team Up for 2017 Lunar Mission
New Companies Begin to Target the Micro-Satellite Market
"Planet" Purchases 3 Launches from "Rocket Lab"
Rocket Lab Makes Suborbital Launch From New Zealand
Related: Vector Space Completes First Test Flight, Hoping to Expand the Small Satellite Launch Market
Vector Space Systems Partners With Virginia Space for Launches
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 24 2017, @03:47AM (2 children)
A so-called rocket company signed up to launch its jalopies from an empty parking lot in Virginia?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday October 24 2017, @03:49AM
You gotta start somewhere.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday October 24 2017, @04:45AM
- be:
Parsons Cyber is a contractor to the NSA. They have offices all over creation - just so you know where your tax dollars are going.
http://soggy.jobs/computer/united-states/virginia/falls-church/ [soggy.jobs]
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday October 24 2017, @04:16AM (4 children)
I get paid when my driver reaches beta, but I do not know yet when that will be. I'm taking quite a lot longer than I originally estimated because I didn't write any device drivers during my madness and my homelessness. I was eventually able to recover my 1337-ness in the last month.
GoFundMe so far enables me to pay my chiropractor for November, to cover the copays for my happy pills, and groceries for two weeks. I still need to cover my telephone, internet and dental insurance. That's $120. Dental is required by ObamaCare. Were I not a contract programmer I could do without the phone and net for a little while, but since I _am_ a contract programmer I need them.
My chiropractor is treating Cervical Radiculopathy - a pinched nerve in my neck that causes excruciating pain in my left arm. Nine "adjustments" so far have greatly reduced the pain, but he said I would require eight weeks, three adjustments per week.
I was looking into surgery when a spinal surgeon advised me to exhaust all other treatments first. He - the spinal surgeon - specifically recommend chiropractic.
Someone requested I accept BitCoin. I'm also setting up litecoin and ethereum.
I'll sign up for amazon's competitor to PayPal after I post this.
I mostly appeared sane online the last few years, but really I was totally out of my tree. One day I told a couple of complete strangers that I was a Secret Service Agent. I really did believe that at the time.
There is always some tiny speck of truth from which grows my delusions and hallucinations: I have a friend who knows Jimmy Carter. Somehow that speck sprouted all over my yard.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday October 24 2017, @04:38AM (1 child)
I don't know if the codes in the parent post still work. Do they change every time I click their "Receive" buttons?
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by lx on Tuesday October 24 2017, @06:40AM
Cryptocoin adrresses never expire.
The old receive addresses are still part of your wallet, so coins sent to them will end up in your wallet.
You get a new address every time so the people you've dealt with can't see your other transactions. This is not an issue with a publicly posted receive address because by publishing it you've stated for all to see that it's yours.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday October 24 2017, @04:39AM
Clue me in, o soylentnews Kenobi. You're my only hope!
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday October 24 2017, @04:43AM
A new address is generated for every transaction I initiate, but all the addresses that have been issued will work forever:
https://support.coinbase.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2276500-why-did-my-wallet-address-change- [coinbase.com]
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]