SpaceX vs Rocket Lab: Could Neutron from Rocket Lab compete with SpaceXs launch vehicle?
Friday, December 3, 2021 | Chimniii Desk
Key Highlights
- Rocket Lab announced several design updates to its newest rocket, Neutron, on Thursday, putting it directly in competition with Elon Musk's SpaceX for larger satellite launches.
- The Neutron, which was unveiled earlier this year, will feature a carbon fibre composite body and a reusable payload fairing secured to the launch vehicle.
- "Rocket Lab expects to begin flight testing of Neutron in 2024, followed by a commercial debut the following year, Beck said in a post-presentation interview.
- Neutron will be 40 metres (131 feet) in length with a 5-meter fairing and will be capable of carrying a payload of up to 15,000 kilogrammes (33,000 pounds) to low-earth orbit.
- Additionally, the rocket is designed to carry humans and conduct deep space missions.
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Rocket Lab USA Inc. announced several design updates to its newest rocket, Neutron, on Thursday, putting it directly in competition with Elon Musk's SpaceX for larger satellite launches.
The Neutron, which was unveiled earlier this year, will feature a carbon fibre composite body and a reusable payload fairing secured to the launch vehicle.
"This is how a rocket should look in 2050, but we're building it today," Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck explained in a video update. "It is a monstrous beast."
Rocket Lab expects to begin flight testing of Neutron in 2024, followed by a commercial debut the following year, Beck said in a post-presentation interview. Additionally, the company is conducting a competitive bidding process for a manufacturing and launch facility on the East Coast of the United States, with a decision expected "relatively soon," he said.
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Neutron will be 40 metres (131 feet) in length with a 5-meter fairing and will be capable of carrying a payload of up to 15,000 kilogrammes (33,000 pounds) to low-earth orbit. Additionally, the rocket is designed to carry humans and conduct deep space missions.
Seven new engines dubbed Archimedes will power the rocket, which will run on liquid oxygen and methane. The motor's first firing is scheduled for next year, Beck said. The fairing, dubbed Hungry Hippo by Rocket Lab, will retract at one end to reveal the payload and second-stage rocket. Initially, Beck stated, the second stage will not be reusable.
Apart from its carbon composite frame, the Neutron will bear several similarities to SpaceX's massive Starship rocket, including a broad base, a heat-shedding re-entry profile, and the ability to launch multiple times per day.
Rocket Lab stated that it was able to overcome engineering challenges with carbon composites by utilising newer, metallic 3D manufacturing techniques that enable the material to be produced faster than previous methods.
"Carbon composites are the optimal material for orbital rockets," Beck explained. "Thanks to Neutron, it's going to really shine as a future rocket material."
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