Rocket Lab Gets NASA Certification For Official Smallsat Launches (techcrunch.com) 7
Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle has received Category 1 certification from NASA, meaning it is authorized for use on more important missions, opening up a whole new revenue stream for the growing launch provider. TechCrunch reports: The certification was largely based on the success of "This One's for Pickering" in late 2018, the company's fourth commercial launch, which took a batch of NASA cubesats into orbit as part of the ELaNa-19 mission. This experimental mission was undertaken as part of NASA's Venture Class Launch Services initiative to test out newer and smaller launch vehicles using non-critical payloads.
Certification categories go from 1-3, from "high risk" to "low risk," based largely on successful launches, which as you might imagine is something of a catch-22: You need the launches to get the certification, but you need the certification to get the launches. Fortunately, one can break the cycle with non-essential missions like small experimental satellites -- which is sort of the purpose of the VCLS program. Category 2 certification is in process, but is of course even more stringent and requires six consecutive successful missions with the same rocket configuration. Rocket Lab has 10 in a row at present, but there's likely a lot of paperwork involved as well.
Certification categories go from 1-3, from "high risk" to "low risk," based largely on successful launches, which as you might imagine is something of a catch-22: You need the launches to get the certification, but you need the certification to get the launches. Fortunately, one can break the cycle with non-essential missions like small experimental satellites -- which is sort of the purpose of the VCLS program. Category 2 certification is in process, but is of course even more stringent and requires six consecutive successful missions with the same rocket configuration. Rocket Lab has 10 in a row at present, but there's likely a lot of paperwork involved as well.
Hobbit Rockets! (Score:3)
Watching the lainches from their New Zealand site always makes me think "wow, the Hobbits have come a long way". It's a small rocket, but a modern one, with a modern, automated production line. If they can get reusability working, they might even stay competitive once SpaceX gets Starship working,
Ruptly (Score:1)
what about self launches.... (Score:2)
I wonder what kind of permit(s) were needed by that guy who splatted himself trying to get launched. Of course he probably didn't have any.