Thursday, December 2, 2021

The Neutron Rocket

RocketLab has released its 2022 plan, which Zimmerman breaks down for us.

Off hand, I don't like that it has a name like "Neutron" without being an actual spin-aligned fusion torchship. Much like NASA never asked me what I thought of "Orion" for their rockets. Ah well. Maybe "Neutron" will be retired like "Merlin" got retired, with the next iteration; and we're all quickly forgetting the Not-Orion from NASA.

The 'Lab are building a carbonfiber first stage that doesn't weigh much when empty, so can be caught by that helicopter. Or at least can land on solid bedrock rather than (like the Falcon) on a barge, which platform has some bouncy to it.

I note that the Noot still has those legs. No chopsticks on the landing pad, for the 'Lab.

Also the safety-margin seems tighter on land than on sea. A Falcon RUD, no matter how heavy it is, goes splash in the ocean. A Neutron RUD hits someone's house.

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