. 24/7 Space News .
ROCKET SCIENCE
Rocket Lab successfully circularizes orbit with new Electron kick stage
by Staff Writers
Auckland, New Zealand (SPX) Jan 29, 2018


Rocket Lab's orbital stage being controled by the company's Electron kick stage.

Rocket Lab, a US aerospace company with operations in New Zealand, has successfully tested a previously unannounced kick stage on the Still Testing Electron launch vehicle, using it to circularize the orbits of the two Spire Lemur-2 CubeSats on board.

The kick stage was flown and tested on board the recent Still Testing flight that was successfully launched on 21 January 2018 NZDT from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.

The complex mission was a success, with the new apogee kick stage coasting in orbit for around 40 minutes before powering up and igniting Rocket Lab's new restartable liquid propulsion engine called Curie, then shutting down and deploying payloads. With the new kick stage Rocket Lab can execute multiple burns to place numerous payloads into different orbits.

Rocket Lab CEO and founder Peter Beck says the kick stage opens up significantly more orbital options, particularly for rideshare customers that have traditionally been limited to the primary payload's designated orbit.

"Until now many small satellite operators have had to compromise on optimal orbits in order to reach space at an accessible cost. The kick stage releases small satellites from the constricting parameters of primary payload orbits and enables them to full reach their potential, including faster deployment of small satellite constellations and better positioning for Earth imaging," Beck says.

The kick stage is designed for use on the Electron launch vehicle with a payload capacity of up to 150 kg and will be used to disperse CubeSat constellations faster and more accurately, enabling satellite data to be received and utilized sooner after launch.

Equipped with a precision pointing cold gas reaction control system, the kick stage also has its own avionics, power and communications systems.

As the proliferation of small satellites in low Earth orbit continues and the risk of collisions increases, the kick stage also offers a sustainable solution to reducing the amount of staging left to decay in orbit.

The kick stage offers a much smaller system with its own green propulsion system to de-orbit the stage after mission completion, reducing the launch vehicle material left in space.

ROCKET SCIENCE
Successful first test for the Ariane 6 Vulcain engine
Paris (SPX) Jan 24, 2018
The Vulcain 2.1 engine, developed by ArianeGroup to power the main stage of the Ariane 6 launcher, for which the maiden flight is scheduled for 2020, has just been successfully tested by the DLR (German Aerospace Center) on the P5 test facility at its site in Lampoldshausen, Germany on behalf of ArianeGroup. This is a version of the Ariane 5 Vulcain 2 engine especially adapted for the Aria ... read more

Related Links
Rocket Lab
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

ROCKET SCIENCE
Chinese, Russians shore up Middle East tourism

S. Korea's Chinese tourist slump endures despite pledges

Macron 'completely changed' France's image, says tech billionaire

Italy's First Female Astronaut: 'No Room for Conflicts in Space'

ROCKET SCIENCE
ULA to market Atlas V commercial launches

India seeks to reduce satellite launch cost

Successful first test for the Ariane 6 Vulcain engine

Falcon Heavy rocket ready for fueling, static fire test

ROCKET SCIENCE
Opportunity gets dust cleaning and passes 45 kilometers of driving

Crater Neukum named after Mars Express founder

New technique for finding life on Mars

Next Mars Analog mission will help improve efficiency and reduce dust exposure

ROCKET SCIENCE
Yang Liwei looks back at China's first manned space mission

Backgrounder: China's six manned space missions

Space agency to pick those with the right stuff

China to select astronauts for its space station

ROCKET SCIENCE
Europe's space agency braces for Brexit fallout

Xenesis and ATLAS partner to develop global optical network

GomSpace signs deal for low-inclination launch on Virgin's LauncherOne

SES-15 Enters Commercial Service to Serve the Americas

ROCKET SCIENCE
Researchers find first evidence of sub-Saharan Africa glassmaking

Changing the color of 3-D printed objects

Ultralow power consumption for data recording

Applications now open for the Space Debris Training Course

ROCKET SCIENCE
A new 'atmospheric disequilibrium' could help detect life on other planets

Viruses are everywhere, maybe even in space

Rutgers scientists discover 'Legos of life'

NASA study shows disk patterns can self-generate

ROCKET SCIENCE
JUICE ground control gets green light to start development

New Year 2019 offers new horizons at MU69 flyby

Study explains why Jupiter's jet stream reverses course on a predictable schedule

New Horizons Corrects Its Course in the Kuiper Belt









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.