Rocket Lab Unveils Plans for New 8-Ton Class Reusable Rocket
I’ve been waiting for this for a while. This is a really good market niche. And being human spaceflight capable is also really good.<p>Peter Beck, who once claimed he’d eat his hat if they made a reusable rocket, sure made a big 180 on the topic, and I couldn’t be happier! Speaking of, watch the announcement video: <a href="https://youtu.be/agqxJw5ISdk" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/agqxJw5ISdk</a><p>I’m also GLAD they copied the Falcon 9 design (which is as old as scifi and was demonstrated by DC-X and Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace) for the first stage landing concept. Better to use what works instead of just making a novel approach just for the sake of novelty or Not Invented Here. Rockets ought to land on a pillar of flame like God and Heinlein (EDIT: and apparently the Soviet Cosmists) intended: <a href="https://youtu.be/TdSxDNnqRlo" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/TdSxDNnqRlo</a><p>Also, RocketLab has a TON of ex-SpaceXer employees... I’ve long said that the high churn (for aerospace, but not any higher than typical tech company) of SpaceX, while not necessarily really good for SpaceX, is really good for the industry as a whole.