New Zealand launches first 3-D printed rocket
Rocket Lab, a Silicon Valley-funded space launch company, launched on Thursday a battery-powered 3-D printed rocket from the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand.
The rocket, known as Electron, is low-cost and thus represents an important step on the way for lowering the costs of spatial missions.
“Our focus with the Electron has been to develop a reliable launch vehicle that can be manufactured in high volumes – our ultimate goal is to make space accessible by providing an unprecedented frequency of launch opportunities,” stated Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and chief executive.
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The test launch had been prepared four years in advance, with New Zealand aiming at becoming a low-cost space hub. This is due to the fact that planes and ships have to be re-routed everytime a rocket is launched, which means that the procedure is much more complicated in the crowded skies and waters of the US than in New Zealand.
Nevertheless, the launch was not that well seen by the local predominantly Māori community. “People come to Mahia so they can go to the beach and it’s been chopped off now and by the sounds of it one of these rockets are going to be launching one every 30 days so they’ve taken over our lifestyle,” said Mahia farmer Pua Taumata.
However, Taumata admitted that the space programme might also bring plenty of opportunities. “I’m for technology … a lot of things could come of it through education. It gives our children something different in their careers. Nobody thought to get into the space industry (before now),” he said.
Rocket Lab will carry out two more tests before starting commercial operations, towards the end of this year.
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