Cost of unsuccessful space launch counted

WELLINGTON: Kleos Space is assessing the cost and impact of losing technology in Rocket Lab’s failed launch at the weekend.

The ASXlisted geolocation intelligence firm had data collecting technology launched by Kiwifounded aerospace company Rocket Lab from its Mahia Peninsula site on Saturday.

The launch failed four minutes into the flight, resulting in the loss of a $11.5 million Electron rocket and its payload. The rocket did not reach orbit and burnt up reentering the atmosphere.

‘‘Clearly we are disappointed not to get this technology development into orbit right now, but we all know getting to space is hard, which is one of the reasons it’s such a valuable thing to do,’’ Kleos Space chief executive Andy Bowyer said in a statement.

The Rocket Lab launch would have let Kleos test its technology in orbit as part of its research and development programme, but would not affect its scouting mission satellites that are ready for launch in India.

‘‘Kleos will assess any financial impact or time impact to the Kleos R&D roadmap over the coming weeks,’’ it said.

Rocket Lab said failed launches, such as the one over the weekend, were an expected part of space flight and that it would be back on the launchpad soon.

‘‘Failures are a routine part of the launch business and one that we prepare for,’’ a spokesman said.

Customers sending payloads into orbit were responsible for their own insurance and the aerospace firm did not carry the cost of lost cargo.

Rocket Lab’s mission was to put a number of microsatellites in orbit for four customers including Canon Electronics and InSpace Missions.

Space consultant and procurement firm InSpace Missions — which was launching technology for Kleos — described the failed launch as a ‘‘devastating loss’’.

‘‘When we heard that the launch vehicle failed four minutes into the flight, we were all absolutely gutted,’’ chief executive Doug Liddle said.

‘‘Many of our team have been involved in previous space missions, so we’re fully aware of the fragile nature of launches. However, this knowledge and experience doesn’t make this failed mission any easier to accept.’’

A 2016 contract between Rocket Lab and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said the aerospace firm, which is headquartered in the United States, was required to have insurance for launch activities as part of its Federal Aviation Authority licence.

However, Rocket Lab said its major expense would be the process of trawling through 25,000 channels of data to establish what caused the loss.

Saturday’s failure follows 11 consecutive successful launches but was not the first Electron rocket lost.

Rocket Lab’s first launch in 2017, called ‘‘It’s a Test’’, also failed four minutes into its journey, similar to the most recent launch.

The issue occurred when ground equipment briefly lost contact with the rocket and officials stopped the flight, a standard procedure when communication is lost.

Rocket Lab’s engineers spent two months analysing all factors that may have influenced the outcome of the launch before concluding a thirdparty contractor’s communication equipment on the ground had been misconfigured.

A spokesman said that same process was now under way, but would likely be faster because the company was much bigger than in 2017.

The company’s recent focus on rapid launch capability would help it get back on to the launch pad sooner. Eight Electron rockets were currently in production

‘‘We are not starting from scratch; it’s just about solving that one issue,’’ a spokesman said.

Failure did not threaten the viability of the company, which was still in a ‘‘very strong position internationally’’ and outperforming a wide field of competitors also trying to break into the emerging privatesector space flight market. — BusinessDesk

❛ Failures are a routine part of the launch business and one that we prepare for