NZ's Rocket Lab launch postponed again

NZ-based space company Rocket Lab has again delayed the launch of its first commercial payload into orbit.

New Zealand-based space company Rocket Lab has postponed the first fully commercial launch of its Electron rocket in order to review technical issues.

"The team is standing down from this launch window to take a closer look at the motor controller behaviour again," the company tweeted on Thursday.

Rocket Lab said it was working on the same technical issue with a motor controller that had already caused the delay of the mission that was originally planned for April.

"We're still not happy with the data, and as we all know, the only metric that counts in the launch business is 100 per cent mission success," the company added.

The team said it would take some time to review the data and tweak whatever needed to ahead of a new launch window.

Rocket Lab's 17-metre rocket was set to take off from Launch Complex 1, the world's first privately-owned orbital launch site, at the southern tip of Mahia Peninsula on NZ's North Island during a launch window from June 23 to July 6.

Rocket Lab first reached orbit with three small commercial satellites during a test flight in January.

The company aims to remove barriers to commercial space travel with weekly launches at a cost of approximately $NZ7.12 million ($A6.7 million).


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Source: AAP


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NZ's Rocket Lab launch postponed again | SBS News