MAHAI, New Zealand - Rocket Lab has completed its orbital launch complex, Launch Complex 1. Located on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula, the facility will be the primary site for launches of Rocket Lab’s Electron vehicle, designed to lift a 150 kg payload to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit.
New Zealand’s remote island location and low volume of marine and air traffic create ideal conditions for frequent launch opportunities. In addition, Launch Complex 1 will be one of the few launch complexes south of Earth's equator. That will enable launches from the site to access a uniquely wide range of orbital inclinations - from 39 degrees through sun-synchronous.
Facilities at Launch Complex 1 include a vehicle processing hangar where the vehicle will be prepared for launch as well as a 50 metric ton launch platform. The platform will tilt forward to lift the rocket to a vertical position prior to launch.
Launch Complex 1 is also the first entirely privately owned launch complex to open in the world. Most launch facilities - like Kourou, Cape Canaveral, and Baikonur - are owned by government agencies. Other companies, such as SpaceX, plan to open private launch complexes, but are using government-owned facilities for the time being.
Rocket Lab is one of a group of companies entering the market to address the need for small satellite launch services. The three primary lightweight launch competitors are Rocket Lab , Firefly Space Systems, and Virgin Galactic. Rocket Lab is in a good place in the industry to be successful. The company has a number of customers booked. In fact, according to the company's website, flights on its Electron launch vehicle are fully booked until the first quarter of 2018 and at least partially booked until the second quarter of 2019.
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