Rocket Lab expects to be back in action by end of year

Rocket Lab’s September 19 launch from Complex 1 at Mahia ended with the loss of a radar Earth-observation satellite, when something went wrong shortly after the Electron rocket’s two stages separated as planned about 2.5 minutes after launch. Named “We Will Never Desert You”, it was the company’s ninth mission of the year and broke a string of 19 consecutive successful launches. Picture supplied

Rocket Lab anticipates it will resume rocket launches from Mahia by the end of the year, after it received Federal Aviation Administration authorisation to resume.

The authorisation comes after Rocket Lab experienced an in-flight anomaly on September 19 during the United Satates-based company’s 41st Electron launch.

The FAA, the federal licensing body for United States launch vehicles, has now confirmed that Rocket Lab’s launch licence remains active, which is the first step to enable launches to resume.

A Rocket Lab  media statement said it was now finalising a meticulous review into the anomaly’s root cause, a process that involves working through an extensive fault tree to exhaust all potential causes for the anomaly, as well as completing a comprehensive test campaign to recreate the issue on the ground.

“The FAA is providing oversight of Rocket Lab’s mishap investigation to ensure Rocket Lab complies with its FAA-approved mishap investigation plan and other regulatory requirements. In addition, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was granted official observer status to the investigation. The full review is expected to be completed in the coming weeks, with Rocket Lab currently anticipating a return to flight later this quarter with corrective measures in place.

“During the September 19 mission, Electron completed a successful lift-off, first stage burn and stage separation as planned, before an issue was experienced at around two and a half minutes into flight shortly after second-stage engine ignition. Flight data shows Electron’s first stage performed as expected during the mission and did not contribute to the anomaly.”

A statement from Rocket Lab chief executive Peter Beck said after more than 40 launches, the Electron rocket was a proven, mature design with a well-established manufacturing process behind it.

“We knew the fault was going to be something complex and extremely rare that hasn’t presented in testing or flight before.

“Our investigation team with FAA oversight has worked around the clock since the moment of the anomaly to uncover all possible root causes, replicate them in test, and determine a path for corrective actions to avoid similar failure modes in future. We look forward to sharing the details of the review once it is fully complete ahead of returning to flight this quarter.”

Posting on X this morning Mr Beck was confident the problem would be solved.

" I am very happy with the corrective measures and we will be back on the pad soon."

In September, the Nasdaq-listed company indicated the failed mission had been costly, issuing an adjustment to its expected third quarter 2023 financial outlook.

The new guidance expects revenue to drop from (US) $73m-$75m to $66m-$68m — with the fall mostly down to an $8m drop in launch services due the postponement of a scheduled Electron mission, previously expected to launch before the end of the third quarter 2023.