Rocket Lab finishes launch complex in New Zealand
Small-satellite launch firm Rocket Lab has completed its New Zealand launch complex ahead of a first test flight expected this year.
The Los Angeles rocket company’s Launch Complex One is located on the Mahia Peninsula on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. The pad will be the primary location for launches of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket, which has yet to fly.
In a statement, company Chief Executive Peter Beck called the completion of the launch complex, which began in 2015, a “significant milestone.”
The launch complex includes a hangar where the Electron rocket will be prepped for launch, a 50-ton launch platform and liquid oxygen and kerosene fuel-storage facilities.
Rocket Lab already has several customers on its launch schedule, including NASA, earth-imaging small-satellite company Planet and moon-mining start-up Moon Express.
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