彼得•贝克

2023年7月28日

彼得·贝克的火箭实验室成立于2006年,是一个新兴的更严重的竞争对手伊隆麝香SpaceX。公司的light-lift电子火箭目前正在执行例行航班到低地球轨道,发射地点在新西兰和大西洋中部地区瓦勒普斯岛上的太空船发射降落场,维吉尼亚州。广告真正与SpaceX公司竞争,然而,火箭实验室需要一个可重复使用的运载火箭类似于猎鹰9号。为此,该公司正在开发Neutron-a完全可重用的美军在发射火箭能够施加153万磅的力(相比之下,猎鹰9号施加170万磅的力)。能推出13吨低地球轨道,火箭实验室推销汽车的“megaconstellation发射器。本周早些时候发布的“新艺术作品描绘了一些微妙的,但意义重大,对即将到来的火箭,在Teslarati覆盖。剩下的也是俘虏“饥饿的河马”整流罩设计,这为一个完全可重用的第一阶段铺平了道路和整流罩,后者是一个防护罩保护有效载荷,如卫星和宇宙飞船,从空气动力学和热发射。广告广告新作品中描述中子部署卫星megaconstellation注定。插图在右上角显示早期的整流罩设计,四个季度而不是两个。说明:火箭实验室/ Gizmodo之前的艺术描绘整流罩组成的四个部分,展开就像蠕虫的嘴暴露及其负载调度。 As the updated artwork reveals, Neutron’s fairing will now feature two sections instead of four. This is likely an attempt to streamline the design, consequently reducing potential points of failure. Ultimately, this could lead to a more reliable rocket—a critical attribute for any launch vehicle. Advertisement Rocket Lab did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comments and clarification. SpaceX goes about this a bit differently. Each fairing half, after jettisoning from the Falcon 9 rocket, falls back to Earth controlled by a guidance system, thrusters, and a parachute. SpaceX then attempts to catch these fairing halves using boats with large nets, or it retrieves them from the water, aiming for reusability to reduce launch costs. This works for SpaceX, but the Neutron fairing design is more elegant, and in a word, more futuristic. That said, only time will tell if Rocket Lab’s system will work as intended. Advertisement The company has also made adjustments to the forward strakes, or fins, that will assist the rocket during controlled vertical landings. “Unlike SpaceX, which uses grid fins, the Neutron rocket will use fins that provide more lift and can return to the launch site from further downrange,” Teslarati explained, adding that the forward fins seem to have been repositioned higher on the rocket, and the size of the fairing halves appears to have been slightly reduced. Lastly, Neutron’s landing legs are now tucked into the rocket, bearing a striking resemblance to Falcon 9’s landing legs, both in form and function. Aside from these changes, it would appear that Neutron’s other specs have remained the same. The rocket will feature a lightweight, specially formulated carbon composite structure, be powered by nine Archimedes engines, and run on an oxygen-methane mix for fuel. Ideally, each booster will be flown between 10 and 20 times prior to retirement. Advertisement Rocket Lab is hoping to send Neutron on its inaugural flight at some point next year, but as is standard in the spaceflight industry, timelines are meant to be broken. Especially when engineers keep tinkering with the blueprints. For more spaceflight in your life, follow us on Twitter and bookmark Gizmodo’s dedicated Spaceflight page . Start the discussion