#LaunchCost per kg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_launch_market_competition#2010-2020s:_Competition_and_pricing_pressure
#SpaceShuttle #SLS #Electron #Ariane #LongMarch #Proton #Falcon9 #FalconHeavy #Starship
📦 #AtlasV 233 cubic meters, 9.8-18.8 tonnes
📦 #DeltaIV 233 cubic meters, 28.3 tonnes
📦 #Vulcan 310 cubic meters, 10.8-27.2 tonnes
📦 #Falcon9 145 cubic meters, 18-25 tonnes, #FalconHeavy 30-64 tonnes
💰 Atlas V ~$150 million
💰 Delta IV Heavy ~$300 million
💰 Vulcan ~ $120 million
💰 Falcon 9 ~ $67 million, Falcon Heavy ~$100 million
https://everydayastronaut.com/how-does-ulas-vulcan-compare-to-the-competition
Private investors in the #US 🇺🇸, #EU 🇪🇺, and #Oceania 🇳🇿 have pumped tens of billions 💰 into launch vehicle companies—as examples, more than $10B for #BlueOrigin, $1.2B into #RocketLab, $2.4B for #RelativitySpace, $700 million into #Firefly, $500M into #StokeSpace, and $483M into #IsarAerospace. (As an aside, the cost of developing the expendable #Falcon9 was $400M 💵) https://payloadspace.com/why-is-spacex-the-master-of-launch
Over half of #RocketLab's revenue 💵 now comes from its #SpaceSystems division, which builds #satellites 🛰️, avionics, solar ☀️ arrays and flight computers 💻 for #DeepSpace. The #Electron rocket 🚀 became the fastest launch vehicle to reach 50 missions in June 2024. #Neutron will be capable of launching probes to #Mars 🔴 and other deep-space destinations. https://www.space.com/space-exploration/if-its-possible-it-must-be-done-rocket-lab-ceo-peter-beck-has-his-eyes-on-missions-to-mars-and-venus
#SpaceEnergy #SpaceCommunication #SolAero #Capstone #BlueGhost #EscaPADE
#Neutron offers three mission profiles: return-to-launch-site (RTLS) for propulsive landings back at #Wallops’ Launch Complex 3 (LC-3)*; down-range landing (DRL) for precision ocean touchdowns, maximizing performance; and fully expendable configurations that boost the rocket’s payload capacity from 13,000 kg to 15,000 kg. Stage two sits entirely inside stage one, with fairings that open rather than separating from the vehicle https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/10/beck-neutron-update
* 🗺️ https://graphhopper.com/maps/?point=Rocket+Lab+Launch+Complex+3&layer=Esri+Satellite
First flight 🚀 of #Neutron no earlier than 1st quarter, 📆 2026, #RocketLab LC-3 * https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/7449/
* 🗺️ https://graphhopper.com/maps/?point=Rocket+Lab+Launch+Complex+3&layer=Esri+Satellite
#Neutron will stand 43 meters tall with a 7 m diameter, and is expected to deliver up to 13,000 kilograms of payload 📦 to #LEO https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/rocket-lab-completes-final-tests-on-reusable-hungry-hippo-fairing-ahead-of-1st-neutron-rocket-launch
#RocketLab had its most successful year to date in 2025, with its #Electron rocket completing 21 successful flights. Its next-generation vehicle, #Neutron, will launch no earlier than mid-2026 from a new launch site on Wallops Island* https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/12/rocket-lab-2025-overview
* 🗺️ https://graphhopper.com/maps/?point=Rocket+Lab+Launch+Complex+3&layer=Esri+Satellite
Launch Complex 3
Designed to support testing, launch, and return-to-Earth missions for Rocket Lab’s Neutron rocket https://rocketlabcorp.com/updates/rocket-lab-opens-launch-complex-3-a-critical-milestone-on-the-path-to-neutrons-first-launch/
The failure of a propellant tank during testing in January will delay the first launch of #RocketLab’s #Neutron rocket to at least the fourth quarter of this year.
The defect came from the process of hand-laying the composite tank sections, done by a contractor.
The company had already planned to produce future tanks using an automated fiber placement machine that promises faster production while eliminating any chance of creating similar defects https://spacenews.com/rocket-lab-delays-neutron-debut-to-late-2026/
Spaceflight 🚀
