Space Force sticks with Rocket Lab despite curse of unlucky 13
Space payloads usually cost tens or hundreds of millions of dollars and their loss can be a huge setback for their operators. Launcher reliability is often quoted in excess of 99.9%; that might sound excellent but any failure is problematic.
To get a reasonable fraction of the lift off mass into orbit, the systems, particularly the engines, have to be run close to failure. There is little margin for faults in either manufacture or assembly.
On 4 July, the 13th Electron mission from Rocket Lab failed after first-stage separation. The rocket was carrying an experimental imaging satellite built by Canon,
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 1 free story per week
- Personalised news alerts
- Daily and weekly newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![Patria to deliver Hawk trainer jet full mission simulator to Finnish Defence Forces]()
Patria to deliver Hawk trainer jet full mission simulator to Finnish Defence Forces
Patria has signed a procurement contract with the Finnish Defence Forces to provide a Hawk Full Mission Simulator (FMS) for pilot training, boosting the realistic and extensive training capabilities of the Finnish Air Force.
-
![US Army seeks 'fundamental transformation' to face future threats]()
US Army seeks 'fundamental transformation' to face future threats
‘The army is really undergoing its most fundamental transformation in 40 years. We are moving away from the system that we designed in the 80s’, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth has claimed,
-
![US provides a further $325 million worth of arms and equipment to support Ukraine, taking total to $43.9 billion since invasion]()
US provides a further $325 million worth of arms and equipment to support Ukraine, taking total to $43.9 billion since invasion
The US on 21 September announced another $325 million in arms and equipment to Ukraine, including missiles, air defence systems, ammunition and vehicles in support of the Eastern European country’s operations against the Russian invasion.
-
![DSEI 2023 in review: Ukraine, AI and the real world]()
DSEI 2023 in review: Ukraine, AI and the real world
DSEI 2023 took place in the shadow of the largest European land war in more than seven decades and a growth in conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) with limited UK immediate defence programme opportunities; many of the new products and exhibitors' announcements reflected this.
-
![Pentagon to strengthen cyber networks of US partners and allies]()
Pentagon to strengthen cyber networks of US partners and allies
The recently released 2023 Cyber Strategy states that the US will build the capacity and capability of allies and partners in cyberspace and expand avenues of potential cyber cooperation.
-
![Pentagon bets on advanced autonomous solutions to match Chinese military capabilities]()
Pentagon bets on advanced autonomous solutions to match Chinese military capabilities
The US DoD recently disclosed details of the Replicator initiative to field thousands of uncrewed systems in two years across multiple domains.
