New interplanetary radio and reaction wheel for
constellations to close key gaps in the supply chain.
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the
Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems,
today released two new high-performance space systems products
designed to increase the availability of essential satellite
components to the global small satellite market.
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the full release here:
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Rocket Lab 12Nms reaction wheel in
production. (Photo: Business Wire)
Bolstering the Company’s existing line of proven satellite
components, the new Rocket Lab products include the Frontier-X
software defined radio designed to provide high speed data for both
near Earth and deep space small satellite missions, as well as a
new 12Nms reaction wheel designed specifically for constellation
class satellites.
The products join Rocket Lab’s existing heritage space systems
components including star trackers, reaction wheels, separation
systems, radios, flight software, ground software, and solar power
solutions. Combined, Rocket Lab’s space systems components have
supported more than 1,700 space missions to date.
Enabling Small Sat Deep Space Missions With Frontier-X
Satellite Radio
Rocket Lab’s new Frontier-X radio is a high-speed, X-band
ranging RF transceiver designed to expand the reach of small
satellites beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) to cislunar and deep space
destinations as well as provide an affordable alternative for
mission payload downlink at LEO.
The Rocket Lab Frontier-X radio joins the Frontier-S ranging RF
transceiver in bringing advanced functionality not typically
available in affordable software-defined radios. This includes a
coherent transponder to enable radiometric navigation methods,
precision timekeeping functions, turbo and convolutional encoding
compliant with recommended standards by the Consultative Committee
for Space Data Systems (CCSDS), and a hardware-based critical
command decoder (CCD). The X-band radio packs Deep Space Network
(DSN) waveforms, two-way doppler and regenerative ranging, beacon
modes, and low baud rates enabled by low power digital signal
processing (DSP) in a low mass solution. The Fronter-X radio has
the durability to survive in high radiation environments beyond
Earth orbit, including to geostationary orbit (GEO) and deep
space.
Rocket Lab’s Frontier radios are based on the Johns Hopkins
University (JHU) Applied Physics Laboratory’s (APL) Frontier Radio
and backed by proven flight heritage, having successfully flown the
Frontier-S on the Company’s Photon spacecraft, a Rocket Lab
designed and launched spacecraft that deployed the CAPSTONE
satellite to the Moon for NASA. The Frontier-X radio has completed
qualification, is slated to fly on NASA’s Escape and Plasma
Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission to Mars, for
which Rocket Lab is developing and building two spacecraft.
Frontier-X is available for order now with production taking place
at Rocket Lab’s headquarters in Long Beach.
Reliable In-Space Attitude Control with Latest
Constellation-Class Reaction Wheel
Building upon strong space heritage and extensive experience
across decades of reaction wheel production with Sinclair
Interplanetary by Rocket Lab, the new 12Nms reaction wheel has been
developed to expand attitude control solutions that already include
reaction wheels ranging from 10mNms to 1Nms and high-performance
star trackers.
Rocket Lab’s 12Nms reaction wheel, designed for long-life and
reliability, is ideal for attitude control of spacecraft with
masses as high as 600-650 kg and lifetimes as long as 12 years.
With its low mass, power, and volume, the 12Nms reaction wheel
caters to high mission assurance civil or national security
missions as well as high volume constellation missions. The 12Nms
wheel comes in a radiation hardened variant for longer life and a
LEO variant for shorter lifetime missions. The 12Nms wheel is
currently planned for flight with an undisclosed large mega
constellation customer.
Rocket Lab’s reaction wheels have been used in more than 100
satellites to date for missions and constellations focused on
remote sensing, communications, science, technology demonstrations,
and more. The 12Nms reaction wheel is under production and
available immediately.
For information about Rocket Lab’s Space Systems products, visit
rocketlabusa.com.
- Reaction Wheels
- Software Defined Radios
+ About Rocket Lab
Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with
an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable
launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and
on-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier and more
affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long Beach,
California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small
orbital launch vehicle, the Photon satellite platform and the
Company is developing the large Neutron launch vehicle for
constellation deployment. Since its first orbital launch in January
2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second
most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered 155
satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations,
enabling operations in national security, scientific research,
space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and
communications. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft platform has been
selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as
the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three
launch pads at two launch sites, including two launch pads at a
private orbital launch site located in New Zealand and a third
launch pad in Virginia. To learn more, visit
www.rocketlabusa.com
+ Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain certain “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts,
contained in this release, including statements regarding our
expectations of financial results for the fourth quarter of 2022,
strategy, future operations, future financial position, projected
costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are
forward-looking statements. Words such as, but not limited to,
“anticipate,” “aim,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,”
“design,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,”
“possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,”
“suggest,” “strategy,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and similar
expressions or phrases, or the negative of those expressions or
phrases, are intended to identify forward-looking statements,
although not all forward-looking statements contain these
identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on
Rocket Lab’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future
developments and their potential effects. These forward-looking
statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (many of which
are beyond Rocket Lab’s control), or other assumptions that may
cause actual results or performance to be materially different from
those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially
from the forward-looking statements in this release, including
risks related to the global COVID-19 pandemic; risks related to
government restrictions and lock-downs in New Zealand and other
countries in which we operate that could delay or suspend our
operations; delays and disruptions in expansion efforts; our
dependence on a limited number of customers; the harsh and
unpredictable environment of space in which our products operate
which could adversely affect our launch vehicle and spacecraft;
increased congestion from the proliferation of low Earth orbit
constellations which could materially increase the risk of
potential collision with space debris or another spacecraft and
limit or impair our launch flexibility and/or access to our own
orbital slots; increased competition in our industry due in part to
rapid technological development and decreasing costs; technological
change in our industry which we may not be able to keep up with or
which may render our services uncompetitive; average selling price
trends; failure of our launch vehicles, spacecraft and components
to operate as intended either due to our error in design in
production or through no fault of our own; launch schedule
disruptions; supply chain disruptions, product delays or failures;
design and engineering flaws; launch failures; natural disasters
and epidemics or pandemics; changes in governmental regulations
including with respect to trade and export restrictions, or in the
status of our regulatory approvals or applications; or other events
that force us to cancel or reschedule launches, including customer
contractual rescheduling and termination rights; risks that
acquisitions may not be completed on the anticipated time frame or
at all or do not achieve the anticipated benefits and results; and
the other risks detailed from time to time in Rocket Lab’s filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including
under the heading “Risk Factors” in Rocket Lab’s Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, which was
filed with the SEC on March 24, 2022, and elsewhere (including that
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may also exacerbate the risks
discussed therein). There can be no assurance that the future
developments affecting Rocket Lab will be those that we have
anticipated. Except as required by law, Rocket Lab is not
undertaking any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005931/en/
+ Images & Video Content Spacecraft Components | Flickr
+ Rocket Lab Media Contact Murielle Baker media@rocketlabusa.com
+64 27 538 9040
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