The 3D-printed Gnome Chompski at Rocket Lab's assembly plant in Mt Wellington. Photo / @RocketLab
Rocket Lab says its 16th mission will take off from Mahia carrying a 3D-printed figurine called "Gnome Chompski" - a character familiar to players of Valve's video game Half-Life.
Valve founder Gabe Newell says he'll be donating $1 to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Starship Children's Hospital for every person who watches the launch online at www.rocketlabusa.com/live-stream.
A two-week window for the launch - Rocket Lab's 16th, and sixth this year - will open on November 15.
Newell became stranded in New Zealand during a 10-day holiday that ran into the March lockdown, then decided to stay on. The divorced, 57-year-old father of two says he can get just as much done working remotely from NZ than remotely from his home in Seattle (where he became a multi-millionaire at Microsoft, where he worked on the first three releases of Windows).
Valve develops its own video games, and sells titles from all-comers through its Steam online store, which has become the dominant online platform for distributing gaming content in the post-disc age. Forbes estimates Newell's wealth at US$4 billion ($5.7b).
So he can well afford a folly such as sending "Gnome Chompski" into space.
But while the gnome-alone might recall some of Rocket Lab's less scientific efforts, such as founder Peter Beck's disco-ball satellite or its artificial shooting stars to entertain the mega-rich effort, in this case there does seem to be a degree of utility.
Rocket Lab says, "Manufactured with support from multi-award-winning design studio Weta Workshop, the unique space component is additively manufactured from titanium and printed in the shape of Half-Life gaming icon Gnome Chompski.
"The mission serves as an homage to the innovation and creativity of gamers worldwide, and also aims to test and qualify a novel 3D-printing technique that could be employed for future spacecraft components. The 150 mm gnome will remain attached to the Kick Stage during all mission phases and will burn up upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere during the de-orbiting process."
During an online event, Newell said his company was only 50 per cent to 75 per cent as productive with staff working remotely. Without explicitly mentioning Valve, he said it would make sense for game development companies to relocate - at least temporarily - to New Zealand, where they could work together in an office. He's angling to get a meeting with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to develop his idea.
Newell said last month that he has now applied for permanent residency in NZ.
Beyond Gnome Chompski, Rocket Lab says its 16th mission will be its most diverse every, carrying 30 satellites for a half-dozen clients.
The payloads (see list below) will include the first-ever satellite built by New Zealand students - an Auckland University effort that - all going well - will contribute to the science of predicting earthquakes.
Meanwhile, Rocket Lab's first launch on US soil - for the US Air Force - remains on hold. The Kiwi-American company says everything is copacetic on its side, but it is awaiting Nasa to complete a certification process, with no set timeframe.
The mission, which will be Rocket Lab's 16th Electron launch, will lift-off from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand's Māhia Peninsula during a 14-day launch window that opens on November 16 NZT / November 15 UTC.
Payload: APSS-1
Organisation: Te Pūnaha Ātea - Auckland Space Institute, The University of Auckland
The student-built Waka Āmiorangi Aotearoa APSS-1 satellite is designed to monitor electrical activity in Earth's upper atmosphere to test whether ionospheric disturbances can predict earthquakes. The data from this mission will deliver deeper knowledge of these hard-to-access altitudes and drive understanding of how phenomena such as solar wind and geophysical events affect this atmospheric region.
Payload: DRAGRACER
Organisation: TriSept
The DRAGRACER mission will test the effectiveness of new tether technologies designed to accelerate spacecraft reentry and reduce orbital debris at the conclusion of space missions. TriSept has completed the integration of a pair of qualified Millennium Space Systems 6U small satellites, one featuring the tether drag device and one without. The controlled spacecraft should deorbit in approximately 45 days, while the second spacecraft is expected to remain in orbit for seven to nine years, according to Tethers Unlimited, developer of the 70-meter-long (230 feet) Terminator Tape aboard the control satellite.
Payload: BRO-2 and BRO-3
Organisation: Unseenlabs
BRO-2 and BRO-3 are the second and third satellites in French company Unseenlabs' planned constellation of about 20 satellites dedicated to maritime surveillance. The first BRO satellite was launched to orbit by Rocket Lab in August 2019. Unseenlabs' constellation enables improved monitoring of activities at sea, such as illegal fishing and anti-environmental behavior. Thanks to a unique proprietary technology, the BRO satellites are the first to be able to independently and precisely locate and fingerprint Radio Frequency (RF) emitters all around the globe, day or night, in any weather condition, and without requiring any special embarked tracking device. With three satellites in orbit, Unseenlabs' clients can now benefit from the shortest revisit time available on the satellite RF geolocation market.
Payload: Spacebees
Organisation: Swarm Technologies
Swarm will launch the latest 24 1/4U SpaceBEE satellites to continue building out its planned constellation of 150 satellites to provide affordable satellite communications services to IoT devices in remote regions around the world. Swarm's uniquely small satellites enable the company to provide network services and user hardware at the industry's lowest cost and deliver maximum value to customers across a range of industries including maritime shipping, agriculture, energy, and ground transportation. The SpaceBEES will be integrated into two of Rocket Lab's 12U Maxwell CubeSat dispensers for orbital deployment.
Mass Simulator: Gnome Chompski
Organisation: Gabe Newell, Founder of Valve Software
Manufactured with support from multi-award-winning design studio Weta Workshop, the unique space component is additively manufactured from titanium and printed in the shape of Half-Life gaming icon Gnome Chompski. The mission serves as an homage to the innovation and creativity of gamers worldwide, and also aims to test and qualify a novel 3D printing technique that could be employed for future spacecraft components. The 150 mm gnome will remain attached to the Kick Stage during all mission phases and will burn up upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere during the de-orbiting process.
Once a tech leader, Japan has missed out on some important recent developments.