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Wednesday, December 13, 2017 7:53:38 AM
Why Rocket Lab's launch was aborted seconds before lift-off
Why Rocket Lab's launch was aborted seconds before lift-off - 13 Dec, 2017
Rocket Lab says its launch yesterday was aborted due to rising liquid oxygen (LOx) temperatures feeding into one of the Electron's nine engines.
The launch attempt was aborted two seconds before lift-off from its range on Mahia Peninsula between Gisborne and Napier.
It says it will attempt to launch again tomorrow - after 2.30pm - and that the 17m rocket or pad equipment wasn't damaged.
The company said the slight LOx temperature increase was a result of a ''LOx chill-down bleed schedule'' that was not compatible with the warm weather.
Another article mentions that the engines are manufactured with EBM additive manufacturing -
Rocket Lab scrubs second Electron launch - December 11, 2017
The rocket is capable of placing a 150 kg (330 lb) payload into a 500 km (310 mi) SSO.
Unique to the Electron rocket are those electric pump-fed Rutherford engines.
Designed in-house and specifically for the Electron, the first-of-its-kind engine – named after New Zealand scientist Ernest Rutherford – is a small, liquid-fueled engine capable of producing a maximum thrust of 5,000 lbf (22 kN) in a vacuum.
For the Electron rocket, each core stage Rutherford engine will produce a little more than 3,800 lbf at liftoff, increasing to slightly more than 4,570 lbf as the rocket ascends into the vacuum of space.
By contrast, the vacuum-optimized Rutherford on the second stage will produce the engine’s maximum 5,000 lbf.
The engines themselves are constructed largely through 3D printing, specifically through electron beam melting, with its main prop valves, injectors, pumps, and engine chambers all 3D printed. The entire engine printing process takes just 24 hours.
The unique electric design replaces the high-pressure gasses used in gas-generator cycle engines with an electric motor – reducing the overall weight and increasing the efficiency of the engine.
Specifically, a rotodynamic pump will use a rotor to continuously impart energy (increase the pressure) onto the fuel and oxidizer as they flow down from their propellant tanks into the fuel and oxidizer pumps.
Rocket Lab #StillTesting Livestream - Tue 12 Dec - Aborted at T0
KiwiSpace Foundation - Published on Dec 11, 2017
Rocket Lab - Still Testing - Launch Attempt 12/12/2017
Rocket Lab
Streamed live on Dec 12, 2017
And some reference information that I missed earlier this year:
Rocket Lab-led space industry could be as big as kiwifruit, says minister - 20 May, 2017
Why Rocket Lab's launch was aborted seconds before lift-off - 13 Dec, 2017
Rocket Lab says its launch yesterday was aborted due to rising liquid oxygen (LOx) temperatures feeding into one of the Electron's nine engines.
The launch attempt was aborted two seconds before lift-off from its range on Mahia Peninsula between Gisborne and Napier.
It says it will attempt to launch again tomorrow - after 2.30pm - and that the 17m rocket or pad equipment wasn't damaged.
The company said the slight LOx temperature increase was a result of a ''LOx chill-down bleed schedule'' that was not compatible with the warm weather.
Another article mentions that the engines are manufactured with EBM additive manufacturing -
Rocket Lab scrubs second Electron launch - December 11, 2017
The rocket is capable of placing a 150 kg (330 lb) payload into a 500 km (310 mi) SSO.
Unique to the Electron rocket are those electric pump-fed Rutherford engines.
Designed in-house and specifically for the Electron, the first-of-its-kind engine – named after New Zealand scientist Ernest Rutherford – is a small, liquid-fueled engine capable of producing a maximum thrust of 5,000 lbf (22 kN) in a vacuum.
For the Electron rocket, each core stage Rutherford engine will produce a little more than 3,800 lbf at liftoff, increasing to slightly more than 4,570 lbf as the rocket ascends into the vacuum of space.
By contrast, the vacuum-optimized Rutherford on the second stage will produce the engine’s maximum 5,000 lbf.
The engines themselves are constructed largely through 3D printing, specifically through electron beam melting, with its main prop valves, injectors, pumps, and engine chambers all 3D printed. The entire engine printing process takes just 24 hours.
The unique electric design replaces the high-pressure gasses used in gas-generator cycle engines with an electric motor – reducing the overall weight and increasing the efficiency of the engine.
Specifically, a rotodynamic pump will use a rotor to continuously impart energy (increase the pressure) onto the fuel and oxidizer as they flow down from their propellant tanks into the fuel and oxidizer pumps.
Rocket Lab #StillTesting Livestream - Tue 12 Dec - Aborted at T0
KiwiSpace Foundation - Published on Dec 11, 2017
Rocket Lab - Still Testing - Launch Attempt 12/12/2017
Rocket Lab
Streamed live on Dec 12, 2017
And some reference information that I missed earlier this year:
Rocket Lab-led space industry could be as big as kiwifruit, says minister - 20 May, 2017
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