High hopes for NZ's first rocket to be away laughing

JOHN SELKIRK

READY FOR LIFT OFF: The rocket was designed by private company Rocket Lab, headed by former crown research scientist Peter Beck.

Relevant offers

National

Pop's goat cruelly slaughtered ACC admits information botch-up Current thinking at IRL Longburn crash victim named Basic climate change science 'sound' despite IPCC errors Mentally disabled man in 'ridiculous' circle 260 Kiwi owners caught up in Prius recall Daily trivia quiz: February 10 Parents tell of search for murdered daughter Thousands sign anti-centre petition

The firm behind New Zealand's first space rocket has unveiled its launch vehicle.

Rocket Lab, a private aerospace company, intends to launch Atea-1 on November 30 from Great Mercury Island, eight kilometres off the coast of Coromandel Peninsula.

A key to the project is the development by Rocket Lab of a new plastic-based solid fuel which is mixed with laughing gas (nitrous oxide). The rocket will need 7kg of this fuel.

The Atea-1, made from lightweight carbon fibre, is just six metres long and 150mm in diameter. It will carry a modest 2kg payload.

"The rocket looks quite small for something designed to reach space, but that indicates its efficiency," said scientist, rocket inventor and Rocket Lab director Peter Beck, 32. "Small is beautiful in the rocket world."

Kiwis can bid on Trade Me to send an item, up to 100g, into space.

The Atea-1's trajectory is expected to peak at 120km above the Earth. It will take four minutes to reach that altitude, travelling at Mach 5 – five times the speed of sound, or about 5000kmh.

After three minutes in space, travelling approximately 50km, it will drop back down into the sea to be recovered.

Rocket Lab, if successful with its test launch this month, would be the first private company in the southern hemisphere to offer space launches, Mr Beck said.

The main purpose of this month's launch is to test flight computers that guide the rocket. But it will also have a single computer USB flash-drive carrying 22,000 text and photo messages being paid for by a US company.

Mr Beck, a former Crown research scientist, said he first began tinkering with rocket fuel 15 years ago when hotting up a Mini as a hobby.