彼得•貝克

2023年6月19日

柏拉圖數據情報。觀點:1華盛頓——操作下的神秘麵紗穿刺隻有火箭發動機的點火,火箭實驗室推出了首個亞軌道變體的電子汽車6月17日。車輛,叫做超音速加速器的亞軌道測試電子(急忙),從發射升空2在大西洋中部地區瓦勒普斯島上的太空船發射降落場,維吉尼亞,晚上24點。東部。火箭實驗室在一份聲明中宣布發射成功發射後將近一個半小時。從今晚的推出“100%任務成功,”彼得·貝克火箭實驗室的首席執行官飛行後推。“一個完美的國家最新的高超音速飛行測試平台。“火箭實驗室沒有透露負載在匆忙或其他關於航班的詳細信息,包括峰值高度和速度。該公司並未宣布提前啟動,沒有提供一個網絡直播。隻有預先通知來自空域限製聯邦航空管理局以及發表的微博從美國宇航局的瓦勒普斯飛行基地,這透露火箭的發射時間從實驗室發射,但表示該設施的遊客中心將關閉給公眾。 That level of secrecy is a far cry from previous orbital Electron launches from both Wallops and Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, which were publicized well in advance. Even missions for U.S. national security customers, such as the National Reconnaissance Office, were announced in advance and broadcast. Rocket Lab announced HASTE in April , making only minor modifications to the standard Electron, such as strengthened structures. The vehicle is designed to accommodate payloads of up to 700 kilograms for suborbital tests. Beck, in an interview just after the company announced HASTE, said he expected strong demand from the Defense Department for hypersonics testing and targets. “We can get exact trajectories at a cost and frequency but also an accuracy that’s never been available before,” he claimed. Because HASTE is similar to the standard Electron, Rocket Lab says it can get greater economies of scale for the vehicle. “The more vehicles we put through the factory, the cheaper they get,” Beck said in April. Rocket Lab plans to launch HASTE exclusively from Wallops. “Wallops, at its core, is a test and research range perfectly suited for these sorts of missions,” David Pierce, director of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, said in a post-launch statement. In a May 9 earnings call, Rocket Lab projected 15 Electron launches overall in 2023 , a figure that includes both orbital and HASTE missions. The company did not disclose the split between the two. This was the sixth Electron launch this year. Related