Rocket Lab Expands Services With New Satellite Manufacturing Platform
Rocket Lab introduces its Photon satellite platform to provide turn-key spacecraft for small satellite operators. The new offering allows customers to focus on their payloads rather than building hardware.
Rocket Lab expands its space offerings by adding satellite manufacturing to its existing launch capabilities. The company unveils its "Photon" satellite platform, which delivers fully built satellites to customers so they avoid the complex process of building their own hardware.
Founder and CEO Peter Beck explains that building satellite hardware takes significant time, resources, and expertise, distracting small operators from their core mission. By providing this turn-key solution, Rocket Lab enables customers to focus entirely on their payloads and data services while the company handles the rest.
The Photon satellites are designed for Low Earth Orbit missions, including technology demonstrations and constellations, and feature a five-year orbital lifespan with advanced attitude controls and propulsion systems. Manufactured in Huntington Beach, California, these spacecraft launch on the company's Electron rocket, with the first paying customer missions scheduled for 2020.