Rocket Lab is debating whether a focus on hand-on assembly or automation would be a better approach to ramping up production of its Electron rocket, according to a company official.
Brad Schneider, executive vice president and general manager of Rocket Lab’s United States operations, said Oct. 14 the company has two factories. One is a 115,000 square foot facility in Huntington Beach, Calif., while the other is a 100,000 square feet facility in New Zealand, home to the company’s designed-from-scratch launch range. Schneider said since Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket is U.S. licensed, a substantial amount of the vehicle must be made domestically.
“Our facility needs to look like either a BMW factory with all kinds of automation, or a Lamborghini factory with more hands-on building,” Schneider told an audience at a Washington Space Business Roundtable (WSBR) event in Washington.
Schneider said Rocket Lab, already building rockets, is getting ready to start launches and is quickly moving from research and development (R&D) to production. The first test launch, he said, should take place by the end of the year while the company should go “full commercial” by March with “lots of launches” in 2017.
Rocket Lab plans to start with orbital missions at a rate of about one a month, but Schneider said the company would be able to survive on a lot fewer than 12 launches per year due to low overhead and a simplified product. Electron is Rocket Lab’s only launch vehicle and Schneider said its component count was minimized and designed around a modular capability to enhance mass production.
Schneider also said the company’s small management structure with a small back office combined with a really good set of technicians putting equipment together will help Rocket Lab keep costs low. The company is selling Electron starting at $4.9 million per rocket, according to company briefing slides.
Rocket Lab opened its New Zealand launch complex in September. The company built the facility there because its remote island location and low volume of marine and air traffic create ideal conditions for frequent launch opportunities. Rocket Lab believes U.S. ranges struggle to support high frequency launches. The New Zealand launch facility also accesses a uniquely wide range of orbital inclinations, from 39 degrees through sun-synchronous.
Rocket Lab completed a number of milestones on 2016, including qualification of its Rutherford engine, qualification of Electron’s second stage and the development of major infrastructure, including remote tracking, test facilities and the launch site.