Has Rocket Lab Made Progress On Neutron?
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- Опубликовано: 11 июн 2024
- Rocket Lab is still targeting the end of this year for the first launch of Neutron, a partially reusable medium-lift launch vehicle. With such an aggressive timeline, it begs the question of what progress have they made and is that date realistic. Based on the project’s timeline and recent updates, it seems that while maybe not likely, it’s definitely possible.
Just days ago, Rocket Lab completed some large concrete pours for Neutron’s launch pad, future tank farm, and launch mount. This comes in addition to continued work on the vehicle’s Archimedes engines among other aspects. Here I will go more in-depth into the company’s progress, launch site development, upcoming milestones, and more.
Full article here - thespacebucket.com/has-rocket...
For more space-related content check out - thespacebucket.com/
Credit:
Rocket Lab - / rocketlabnz
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:35 - Launch Site Progress
3:34 - Neutron Vehicle Progress 
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Thank you for the timely and succinct update. Keep up the great videos!
Rocket Lab have come a long way. Looking forward to Neutron’s first launch. 🚀
Same here!
*has
@@cube2fox Have/Has. I’m dyslexic. I’m also a chef. Never order the carp….it tastes like shit! 😳
@@williamhastie5056 Haha :) Didn't want to be pedantic, but in the past I did use the plural for single companies myself.
Though what would I know? I'm German.
@@cube2fox Well I’m Scottish. What do I know! 😬🏴🇩🇪
Excellent work, as usual. I love Rocket Lab updates, would be a dream job.
Quick correction:
While originally envisioned as a GG engine, Archimedes was announced 2022/09/21 as oxygen rich staged combustion. I believe the explanation was that they weren't getting the needed performance from the GG cycle.
The link to the investor update where this change was announced is on the wikipedia entry for the engine.
The development of this vehicle is so interesting to me because of its speed and other curious elements. It seems to be the product of a combination of advanced modelling and virtual testing combined with very advanced manufacturing processes that are robotic. The need for many physical prototypes would be reduced or even eliminated and the ability to create physical elements rapidly means things that would have taken years in the past to do seem to be accomplished in months.
I'm pretty sure they've given up on the gas generator cycle for Archimedes and are going with oxygen-rich (I think) staged combustion. As I recall, this was done for better throttling capabilities.
Yes, the video provides useful information about the current state of the project, but even the Wikipedia page shows that the engine is now oxygen-rich staged as this cycle better suited their needs and their engine team became confident that this cycle would not be much more difficult to develop. Developers of older engines would have killed to have modern design, simulation, and engine management tools.
The timeline is heavily dependent upon what happens on the engine stand in the coming months as RL finds out whether this combustion cycle was a reasonable time trade.
A pinned comment might be useful to add this correction.
I won't consider Neutron finished untill they properly rename it to MUON, the heavy twin of the electron.
Thanks man...
I'm still mad they called it neutron and not muon.
Electron
Muon
Tau (maybe a future New Glenn sized vehicle)
It would've just made sense.
And they should have called their kickstage neutrino instead of Photon.
Lepton lovers rise up!
Do you mean muon? I’ve never seen it spelled myon before
Also if memory serves tau means something in Russian that you might not want to name a rocket
@@oberonpanopticon I forgot how to spell 💀
It's how it's spelled in Germany.
Thanks, I'll fix it.
@@plainText384👍
@@plainText384 hallo
Goooooo Rocket Lab!
Go Peeter Beck, Go Rocket Lab ! ! ! 🚀
Any updates on this and any information on what stage Archimedes is at? I read elsehwere that there's been some issues with injectors.
Hi amazing technology good 👍 luck with this project David 🚀👌🇬🇧❤️👍
Though I'm skeptical, a launch in 2024 would be remarkable. If that happens then one should wonder WTH is Blue Origin doing? I'd love to get an insight into the work culture and management of these different companies.
Though I'm skeptical, Blue Origin plans to launch NASA's EscaPADE Mars mission this year. On the very first launch of New Glenn.
@5:19 - Archimedes engine is not Gas-Generator cycle, it's supposed to be Oxygen-Rich Staged Combustion cycle.
what is that thumbnail? great video anyways
❤❤❤❤❤
I'm thinking summer 2025.
The problem with fiber composites is that the resin holding the fibers together tends to degrade and produce wildly random failures. Not so great for reusable pressure vessels. I believe its well documented that this was how SpaceX twice abandoned carbon composites, first with Falcon 9's prototypes, and then, again, with Starships predecessor and prototypes. It's simply too unpredictable for repeated use, and the process too expensive outside of extremely niche cases, where weight and short-term strength are the deciding factors, over safety and resilience.
Beck's earlier comments about needing a reliable family car for an engine, as opposed to a ferrari, come to mind. Fiber composites are like the ferrari, high performance, high impact, but short term and expensive. Where as aluminum and steel are your reliable, all weather family sedan, with the option for all wheel drive (structural repair and reinforcement to prolong lifespan.)
what about the A350 and the 787 aircraft?
SpaceX never said their abandonment of carbon fiber was due to structural failures or degradation, they said it was to cut costs and prototype faster. That said SpaceX's choice has in no way been validated and RocketLabs has vastly greater expeience with carbon-fiber rockets then anyone in the industry now so they are the best positioned to reap it's benifits and mitigates it's downsides.
lol fanboyism won't change physics.
@@haydentravis3348 "materials science" not physics but yes for those that tried and failed with carbon composites and Rocket launch clearly RocketLab has been the beneficiary of all of that work and capital loss as given the stunning amount of investment into this material by both Boeing and Airbus plus automotive applications that have either worked/mostly not worked easy to see why RocketLab wants to give this a try (though no autoclave pictured duly noted.) RocketLab was originally proposed as a cheap disposable actually and remarkably has found use for Electron as a possible reusable. If true this would mean big time advancements in very small form factor Rocket Engines of which Electron is definitely the leader in that. Point being if one needs to produce hundreds of Rockets for launch quickly from just about anywhere RocketLab is the way to go. The SpaceX Falcon 9 has become more of a "Space Truck" as the idea of full reusability of any Rocket after firing excepting the Space Shuttle is a pretty nutty idea actually but one SpaceX has now fully validated against all expectations. This is of course great news for RocketLab as the theory that there is only one way to do this is why SpaceX has become so successful. To your point specifically and dealing with *CHEMISTRY* not physics how prone to cracking carbon fiber is to the fuel(methane) and oxidizer(liquid oxygen) being used, yes there can be substantive issues. But of course just look at the absolutely tiny BE-3 from Blue Origin that is using liquid hydrogen as a fuel! Hard to get colder and more dense than that! ULA has fully validated the Blue Origin methane main engine as an actual Moon Rocket now btw as well/too so no one is now questioning the validity of the fuel itself which is a huge problem solved. Kerosene has many advantages over any other type of Rocket fuel not least being stable at room temperature but also "burns like a candle" as opposed to outright explosive igniting. As a primer I suggest reading the Book "Ignition."
bueller....bueller....bueller
Spacex is about to have company
Neutron has a significantly lower payload to LEO than Falcon 9 (13 tons vs 18.4 tons). Neutron was developed to launch satellites for large satellite constellations. Currently only SpaceX and Amazon are working on such constellations. But according to Amazon, Falcon 9 is already at the lower end of the required Payload for their satellites. Which apparently means that Neutron is too weak to launch Amazon satellites. This sounds quite bad for Neutron.
Future Neutron development will see the payload to LEO likely increase significantly, just as F9 did after block 1.
Cost per kilogram is a slightly more useful metric here
Falcon 9 payload limit is 10 tonnes max. to LEO (same as Falcon Heavy).
@@mathewferstl7042 Not really when Neutron can't launch constellation satellites at all.
@@davidstevenson9517 They have deployed approximately 18.4 tons of Starlink payload in an October flight, see Wikipedia source / Everyday Astronaut.
Do all modern space capsules realy need to look like penguins?
No. They look like Discovery, Buran, Dreamchaser and Tenacity.
@@davidstevenson9517 which all look like penguins💀
How would you propose they look? @@FishyAltFishy
If your refering the the black and white color schemes then yes, this is critical to thermal managment, black absorbs and emits more heat, while white is reflective but also retains heat better.
Just wait for fish and wildlife to get involved.
FWS won't "get involved" as NASA controls Wallops Island and won't allow ANY of the shenanigans that go on over at Boca Chica.
The launch facility in Virginia was cleared by the government regulators decades ago.
Boca Chica was only started a few years ago.
SpaceX got approval for Falcon 9 launches, not Starship development.
But Musk needs someone to blame.
I fail to see your point. @@jameskelly3502
The point is that NASA is environmentally responsible at Wallops Island whereas SpaceX at Boca Chica isn't.
FWS (and FAA) expect ALL to follow the laws and regulations; Elon Musk has yet to learn this.
@@davidstevenson9517how many things do you think they ignored in the 1960s? And cape canvaral is only a protected wildlife sanctuary because of the rocket launch pads. The same applies to boca chica ironically without spacex there. There would be less rules
This looks like a click bait AI generated page. The vid of the 4 hatch opening atop the NEUTRON had long ago been replaced with two hatches. This is AI fake news.
sorry, I dont trust Beck almost as much as Bill Nelson (the man made of wax)
Why not? He literally ate his hat!
You shouldn't trust Peter Beck, How Dare, and this warning comes from a New Zealander.
Peter Beck effectively "sold" his private NZ company several years ago for development finance. To whom?
Lockheed Martin, they fronted up with $300 million and now control the majority of shares in this "public" company.
Rocket Labs advertisements on RUclips now describe RL as "an American company" with Peter Beck described as it's "founder and CEO".
So, HowDare, Lockheed Martin now OWNS RL; are ALSO a member of ULA with BO and Boeing; AND a member of the National Team with BO and Boeing, building Blue Moon for NASAs 2nd Option Lunar Lander (Artemis 5, 2029).
For this New Zealander, Peter Beck and Rocket Lab are as Kiwi as Bill Nelson, Jeff Bezos, Tory Bruno and Elon Musk.
🇳🇿🚀❎
It's the curly hair for me! Curly headed people are the second least trustworthy people after gingers! Lol
This subsection is for the stupids....
It appears rather narrow-minded to assess individuals solely based on their mannerisms or physical appearance.
Is channel voiced by AI? So monotone and bland.
He used to use AI and it was significantly worse back then. He puts a lot of time into voicing his scripts clearly. Sorry he doesn’t have the annoying gamer youtube voice that you’re so used to hearing. Show some respect.
Well said. @@UghIHateTheseThings
The channel isn't for children, so the voiceover doesn't need to be all whacky and zaney.
Lol I watch other space news channel and they have better voice narrative than this. I have no hate or anything against the channel owner, I recently watch some videos of this channel and just wonder and give some critism about the voicing. Is criticism mean childish for you guys?
Not gonna lie i dont get the hype behind Rocketlab. They have not impressed me with how long they have been around.
Its like theyre stuck in limbo.
Same, and now they are dumping money into satelite fabrication, why? Their rockets still need cash and they will probably dillute shareholders
Fortunately, Rocket Lab is not dependent on your approval. Every rocket company is on a different track toward designing and building a reliable rocket. They are working toward at least a partially reusable rocket. That is moving in the right direction.
Problem rocket lab has is they only have a limited amount of time befor SpaceX ends up gobbling up most of the market share
@@deannelson9565 that's like saying there is only enough business for one supermarket chain.
@@deannelson9565 Space has already done that as it carries more payload to orbit then the rest of the world combined. It remains to be seen how it will play out. A significant proportion of Falcon 9 launches are for Starlink sats. An increasing number of countries around the world who lack any rocket program look for others to put payloads in space for them. So there is a lot of business to go around.
Not much for the money so far. I am not encouraged. They don't even sound excited and they aren't even building the landing area. Scam?