Rocket Lab USA
Bringing Deep Space Missions within Reach for Small Spacecraft (SSC21-IV-03)
Richard French, Ehson Mosleh, Christophe Mandy, Richard Hunter, Jonathan Currie, Doug Sinclair, Peter Beck (Rocket Lab)
35th Annual Small Satellite Conference
11 August 2021 rocketlabusa.com GLOBAL LEADER IN LAUNCH & SPACE SYSTEMS
• Founded in 2006 by Peter Beck • US company, >$300M raised, SPAC announced, valued at over $4B PRODUCTION COMPLEX ZEALAND NEW AUCKLAND, • 20 launches, 104 satellites to orbit with Electron, first NASA Cat 1 certified small launch vehicle • Neutron medium lift launch vehicle announced • HQ in Long Beach, CA, global infrastructure, 2 launch sites, 3 pads • Space Systems Division providing end-to-end missions with the Photon small satellite and supplying small spacecraft components • Acquisition of Sinclair Interplanetary in April 2020 • 1st Photon launched in August 2020, 2nd Photon in March 2021 • Implementing NASA CAPSTONE (lunar), LOXSAT-1 (LEO tech demo), and ESCAPADE (Mars) missions • Performing MethaneSAT operations for EDF and MBIE/NZSA OFF
• Privately-funded Venus 2023 probe mission in development - ELECTRON LIFT 2020 1, COMPLEX LAUNCH ENCAPSULATION PHOTON ZEALAND NEW AUCKLAND, Rocket LAB AT a glance
A vertically integrated provider of small launch services, satellites and spacecraft components
Delivering end-to-end IIN UNDER 6 YEARS space solutions
Launch: Proven rocket delivering dedicated access to orbit for 3+ years 19 104 3 2nd 2 7 Space Systems: Manufacturing satellites Launches Satellites Launch Most frequently Mission Successful and best-in-class spacecraft components to space deployed pads built launched control mission for to orbit U.S. rocket centres USG customers
Space Applications: Uniquely positioned to leverage launch and satellite capabilities and infrastructure to build and operate our own constellations 1 2 1 1 3 1 Strategic Factories of our own Recovered Interplanetary Awarded acquisition built satellites on rocket missions propellant orbit (+ more scheduled depot mission to come) (Moon, Mars, on orbit for Venus) NASA VERTICALLY INTEGRATED SPACE COMPANY
FROM RAW MATERIAL TO ORBIT 1 2
1 2 5 6
Rocket Lab HQ Sinclair Auckland Mission Control Space Systems Interplanetary Production New Zealand Mission Control U.S. by Rocket Lab Complex 3 4
5 6
3 4 7 8
Global Tracking Launch Propulsion Test Launch Systems Complex 2 Complex Complex 1
7 8 MEET ELECTRON
SIGNIFICANT technology
m oat s ELECTRON LAUNCH COMPLEX 1
104 1st 132 190 Satellites Carbon Launch 3D printed deployed to composite opportunities engines orbit to date orbital launch every year delivered vehicle in across 3 to space the world launch pads ELECTRON ON LAUNCH PAD LAUNCH COMPLEX 1
Powered by the Unique Kick Stage Designed for Tailored for world’s first 3D standard with every manufacturability satellites up printed and electric- launch to provide and reliability to 300 kg pump-fed rocket industry-leading (660 pounds) engine technology, precision and payload class backed by a growing flexibility IP portfolio and patent filings ELECTRON PRODUCTION COMPLEX NEXT STEP: NEUTRON NEW ROCKET DEVELOPMENT 8-TON to LEO PAYLOAD CAPACITY
1,500KG 4.5 M Payload capacity Fairing diameter to Venus
40 M Reusable In length First stage
LAUNCHING From Virginia, USA dedicated small launch is critical
Not all space access is the same
Rocket Lab delivers the first dedicated ride to orbit for small satellites, providing customers control over launch schedule and enabling tailored orbits that cannot be matched by large rocket rideshare
Launch Frequent On demand launch Strategically critical for military 132 launch slots every year space resilience and commercial (more than all U.S. launch constellation replenishment sites combined) Small satellites face More than 50% of small Large rockets do not costly delays when satellites launched in provide adequate flying rideshare on the past 5 years were control for many large rockets due to delayed from small satellite orbital low launch frequency 4 months to 2 years destinations Tailored Frequent orbits launch Small satellite customers in Ability to control launch time control of exact orbits. Wide down to the second range of launch azimuths SPACECRAFT COMPONENTS
Spacecraft components Business supports the ecosystem and is filling key gaps in the US supply Chain
• Flight and payload computers ATTITUDE CONTROL RADIOS COMPONENTS COMPONENTS • Radios with coherent transponders • Reaction Wheels (Sinclair Interplanetary by RL) • Star Trackers (Sinclair Interplanetary by RL) • In-space propulsion • Reaction control systems • Torque rods and controllers • Batteries • Solar panels • Power management systems
SOLAR PANELS COMPONENTS PHOTON
Photon enables full use of the Electron fairing for payload (sensors, transponders, etc.)
• Launch + satellite + ground + mission operations as a bundled service 1 PATHFINDER PHOTON AUGUST 2020 • Photon eliminates the parasitic mass of deployed spacecraft and duplicative subsystems by operating as Electron’s Kick Stage and as the spacecraft bus, and allowing full use of the fairing by instruments • Can fly on Electron, Neutron, or as a payload on other LVs (primary or secondary) • Evolved from Electron’s Kick Stage, building on significant flight history • Primary propulsion, RCS, flight computer, IMU, GPS, S-band • Adds high power generation, high-accuracy attitude determination and control, more radiation-tolerant avionics, and high-speed downlink • Primary propulsion capable of multiple engine restarts • Curie bi-propellant, pressure-fed engine; mono-propellant mode • Hyper Curie bi-propellant, pump-fed engine; higher Isp, thrust • LEO, MEO, GEO, lunar, and interplanetary configurations PHOTON FIRST FIRST PHOTON MISSION LIGHT AUGUST 2020 PHOTON POSITION POSITION PHOTON FAIRING ELECTRON PHOTON ‘FIRST LIGHT’ First Light mission demonstrated The Value of integrated launch + Satellite solutions
Launched in August 2020 on Flight 14, deployed Capella’s Sequoia FIRST PHOTON MISSION LIGHT AUGUST 2020
Successfully Now operating as High flight rate is demonstrated an on-orbit supporting rapid solar arrays, testbed for flight tech demo of power and ground increased Photon management, software capabilities and thermal validation, increasing management, demonstrating demonstrated and attitude lights out lifetime control operations PHOTON ‘PATHSTONE’
Pat h s to n e mission is de-risking Rocket Lab’s deep space mission approach for the NASA CAPSTONE lunar mission
Launched in March 2021 on Flight 19, deployed BlackSky Global’s BlackSky 7 PHOTON F19, MARCH 2021
Risk reduction Demonstrated rapid Demonstrating mission for the integration of upgraded NASA Photon core avionics, radios, CAPSTONE systems with CAPSTONE lunar mission existing Kick Stage concept of production flow, operations (flight required for dynamics system, supporting hosted ground systems, payload missions etc.) and other low-cost tech demonstrations
PATHSTONE F19, MARCH 2021 interplanetary missions Missions awarded and spacecraft developed
FIRST TO DISRUPTING DISPLACING THE MOON THE MARKET LEGACY SPACE
Awarded NASA Rocket Lab’s Private mission to Venus Mission CAPSTONE mission to search for life to Mars to the moon Launching 2023 Launching 2024 Launching 2021 Rocket Lab will provide both the The mission will see Photon deliver a As a precursor for Gateway, a rocket and spacecraft - international science payload to Mars to study the Moon-orbiting outpost that is part of research team will provide the probe planet’s plasma environment NASA’s Artemis program, and science instrument CAPSTONE will help reduce risk
for future spacecraft VENUS MARS MOON NASA CAPSTONE
NASA CAPSTONE will demonstrate a flexible approach to targeting escape trajectories for small spacecraft using a dedicated small launch vehicle
Launching the first mission of the Artemis program on a lunar trajectory in 2021
Selected by NASA in High energy Photon, or Passed CDR in February February 2020 to deploy the ‘Photon Lunar’ stage, with 2021, on track to launch CAPSTONE spacecraft, a 12U Hyper Curie engine, large within ~18 months of CubeSat led by Advanced propellant tanks, and contract start during Space, on a ballistic precision radiometric COVID. Rocket Lab lunar trajectory; navigation, using a secondary mission will demonstrating phasing orbit approach to demonstrate Photon deep communications and performing the translunar space operations navigation technologies in injection capabilities Near Rectlinear Halo Orbit (NRHO)
Photon Lunar stage NASA Escapade
NASA ESCAPADE is demonstrating Photon versatility to launch on other launch vehicles, and demonstrating an affordable tailored Class D implementation
Launching as a rideshare mission for the NASA Science Mission Directorate’s SIMPLEx program in partnership with UC Berkeley
Credit: NASA/UC Berkeley
Selected by UC Two spacecraft in PDR in June 2021, Berkeley to provide Mars orbit to KDP-C/confirmation the spacecraft buses understand the in July 2021, for the NASA Escape structure, launching as a and Plasma composition, rideshare on Acceleration and variability, and another launch Dynamics Explorers dynamics of Mars' vehicle in 2024 (ESCAPADE) mission unique hybrid magnetosphere
UC Berkeley ESCAPADE mission to Mars Venus
Demonstrating the value of dedicated launch of small spacecraft for decadal-class Science
Rocket lab is leading a privately funded mission to Venus to explore habitability of the cloud layer
Privately-funded Hyperbolic Collaborating with Venus mission trajectory with leading University launched on high energy scientists for Electron Photon as the instrumentation cruise stage and and expanding as a partnerships with communications NASA relay
Privately-funded probe mission to Venus Preliminary resultsQuestions/Discussion On-orbit refueling for planetary small spacecraft missions can increase payload mass ENERGY PHOTON HiIGH
• Photon to Photon re-fueling almost doubles payload mass for inner solar system missions like the Moon and Mars • Electron Stage 2 re-fueling significantly increases payload mass for planetary small spacecraft missions – performance below ~10 km2/sec2 set by battery capacity • Electron Stage 2 and Photon re-fueling shows modest improvements above Stage 2 re-fueling case ORBIT - Primary Contact: 2 LOX/RP 2 LOX/RP ON - Richard French PHOTON FIRST FIRST PHOTON MISSION LIGHT AUGUST 2020 PHOTON POSITION POSITION PHOTON FAIRING ELECTRON LOXSAT FUEL DEPOT Director, BD & Strategy, Space Systems [email protected]