/sci/ - Science & Math

>>15487111
> The high-energy Photon (Figure 1), developed by Rocket Lab for the NASA CAPSTONE mission that successfully launched to the moon in June 2022 and also being matured for the NASA Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission launching to Mars in 2024, is a self-sufficient small spacecraft capable of long-duration interplanetary cruise [2].

> The high-energy Photon (Figure 2) is designed for launch on Electron (Figure 3), Rocket Lab’s dedicated small launch vehicle. Electron can lift up to 300 kg to a 500 km orbit from either of two active, state-of-the-art launch sites: LC-1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand and Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Virginia. Electron is a two-stage launch vehicle with a Kick Stage, standing at 18 m tall with a diameter of 1.2 m and a lift-off mass of ~13,000 kg. Electron’s engine, the 25 kN Rutherford, is fueled by liquid oxygen and kerosene fed by electric pumps. Rutherford is based on an entirely new propulsion cycle that makes use of brushless direct current electric motors and high-performance lithium-polymer batteries to drive impeller pumps. Electron’s Stage 1 uses nine Rutherford engines while Stage 2 requires just a single Rutherford vacuum engine. Rutherford is the first oxygen/hydrocarbon engine to use additive manufacturing for all primary components, including the regeneratively cooled thrust chamber, injector pumps, and main propellant valves. All Rutherford engines on Electron are identical, except for a larger expansion ratio nozzle on Stage 2 optimized for performance in near-vacuum conditions. The high-energy Photon replaces the Kick Stage for Electron missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO).