Let's do launch —

Rocket Report: Ariane V returns after long layoff, Rocket Lab’s tough culture

"Pete told us that key contributors would be driving Ferraris to work in a year."

Eric Berger - 7/30/2021, 11:00 AM

Welcome to Edition 4.09 of the Rocket Report! I was certainly looking forward to the second launch of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on Friday, and the Atlas V rocket was ready to go. Alas, serious problems with Russia's new space station module, Nauka, delayed the launch until next Tuesday.

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

New Zealand publication investigates Rocket Lab work culture. Former employees of launch company Rocket Lab claim that behind its flashy public relations is a toxic culture of fear where people are pushed out of the business and punished for minor transgressions, BusinessDesk reports. The article asserts that founder Peter Beck is an inspirational leader but that his management style is more appropriate for a very small startup rather than a maturing aerospace company. Although Rocket Lab is based it the US, it operates a rocket assembly and launch site in New Zealand.

Work (very) hard, get rich? ... Like at other launch startups, hires at Rocket Lab were expected to work long hours. "In one all-hands meeting Pete told us that key contributors would be driving Ferraris to work in a year or two. He also told us we were all expected to show up before sunrise and leave after sunset in order to get back on track," one worker said. In response to these allegations from former employees, Rocket Lab told the publication, "Rocket Lab cares about its people and takes its employment obligations seriously."

Rocket Lab successfully returns to flight. In happier news for the company, Rocket Lab on Thursday successfully launched a research and development satellite into orbit for the United States Space Force. The mission was Rocket Lab's fourth launch for the year and its first mission since a second-stage failure led to the loss of an Electron vehicle in mid-May.

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Starship troopers ... The successful mission, named "It's a Little Chile Up Here," launched from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula. A single Air Force Research Laboratory-sponsored demonstration satellite called Monolith was deployed to low Earth orbit by the Electron. This was Rocket Lab's second mission for the US Space Force. (submitted by Ken the Bin)

Isar Aerospace raises $75 million. Isar Aerospace, a German small-launch-vehicle company, said it raised an additional $75 million that will allow the company to expand its manufacturing and launch capabilities, SpaceNews reports. The new funding brings the company's total raised to date to more than $180 million. Before this latest funding, Isar said it had enough money to take the company through the first launch of its Spectrum small launch vehicle.

Fueling further growth ... The additional funding, executives said, will allow Isar to build out manufacturing and launch infrastructure needed for later growth. "Now we want to expand our launch capabilities, our manufacturing and production capabilities," Stella Guillen, chief commercial officer of Isar, said. The company also plans to use some of the funding to work on reusability. Isar, which currently has more than 180 employees, expects to grow to more than 200 by the end of the year. This impressive fundraising signals that Isar could be a serious player in the emerging European new space sector. (submitted by Ken the Bin)

iRocket reaches deal for use of Marshall facilities. The New York-based rocket company has reached an agreement to access testing facilities and engineering support at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, TechCrunch reports. The company is hoping that it can conduct its first rocket engine test firing at the Huntsville site in September.

Reusing both stages ... iRocket plans to spend about $50 million over the next five years as it develops and tests reusable engines for a small, reusable rocket. This inaugural Shockwave launch vehicle is expected to be able to carry a payload with a maximum size of around 300 kg. The company is seeking to make both its first and second rocket stages reusable, which would be notable for such a small launch vehicle. (submitted by Ken the Bin)

Rocket Lab proxy reveals financial details. Though private launch companies are often understandably opaque with regard to financial details, Rocket Lab had to make extensive financial disclosures as part of its intended merger with a publicly traded special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Ars' report on Rocket Lab's proxy statement shows the company has a long way to go before it is profitable. Rocket Lab experienced net losses of $30 million and $55 million in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

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Approval still likely ... Given the company's financial position, an independent auditor, according to the company's proxy statement, "expressed substantial doubt" about Rocket Lab's "ability to continue as a going concern." Even so, these financial losses may not cool the ardor of investors in Vector Acquisition Corporation, which is seeking to merge with Rocket Lab later this summer. One reason investors will probably still be interested in Rocket Lab is that, unlike so many space companies that have recently gone the SPAC route to become publicly traded, the launch company has solid revenue, demonstrated hardware, and a path toward growing its business.

Chinese company raises funds ahead of first launch. Commercial rocket company Space Pioneer said it has secured a large funding round ahead of reusable "hop" tests and a first orbital launch. Operating under the full name Beijing Tianbing Technology Co. Ltd., the company said it closed a pre-B funding round worth "hundreds of millions of yuan," or at least 30 million dollars, SpaceNews reports.

First launch maybe later this year ... The funds will be used for the first flight on the Tianlong-1 reusable kerosene-liquid oxygen launch vehicle. Few details of the Tianlong-1 rocket have been revealed. Space Pioneer stated last fall that the first flight vehicle would have a payload capacity to low Earth orbit of more than three metric tons. The first flight was slated for 2021, but Space Pioneer offered no date for the Tianlong-1 launch with the funding announcement. (submitted by Ken the Bin)

Japan tests new engine on a sounding rocket. Japan on Tuesday successfully tested an experimental rocket engine that was propelled by methane and oxygen, The Japan Times reports. An 8.5-meter sounding rocket carrying the test engine lifted off from the Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture and reached a peak altitude of 235 km.

Lightweight performance in space ... The test, aboard an S-520 sounding rocket, was designed to demonstrate that the engine would maintain a propelling force in space as expected. The Japanese space agency, JAXA, is currently developing technology that will allow it to utilize a rocket engine just one-tenth of the current size that can also stay in space for extended periods. (submitted by illhavethesteak, VonSagan, HoboWhisperer, and Ken the Bin)

After layoff, Ariane V returns to action. Nearly a full year has passed since the last launch of the venerable Ariane V rocket, in August 2020. However, with its payload-fairing issue apparently fixed, the next Ariane V mission is set for Friday. The rocket is due to launch the Eutelsat and Quantum Star One D2 from the European launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.

Next two must be smooth ... Among those closely watching the launch is NASA, which plans to launch the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope on the European rocket late this year. On Wednesday, NASA science chief Thomas Zurbuchen said on Twitter he was leaving for Kourou to discuss launch preparations and watch the upcoming Ariane V launch. Friday's launch, and one more, must go flawlessly before the Webb mission will happen.