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Space

Rocket Lab to Provide a Speedy Ride to Orbit With New ‘Photon’ Spacecraft

By Vivienne Machi

Tuesday, April 9th, 2019

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Rocket Lab to Provide a Speedy Ride to Orbit With New ‘Photon’ Spacecraft

Rocket Lab’s Photon (right), positioned next to the Electron upper stage. Photo: Rocket Lab

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Rocket Lab USA has designed a new spacecraft dubbed “Photon” with the intent of launching small satellite payloads into low Earth orbit within four months from order to orbit, company officials announced April 8. “This is kind of the next level of democratization of space, said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO during a media roundtable Monday at the Space Foundation’s 35th annual Space Symposium here. “The Photon is a fully functional spacecraft bus –…

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