Our client, Spaceflight Industries, recently announced that it has purchased an Electron rocket from New Zealand-based Rocket Lab. Spaceflight, the launch service and mission management arm of Spaceflight Industries, built its business on the concept of ridesharing. Rideshare consists of procuring available capacity on existing launches and assisting satellite providers in securing the excess capacity for a fraction of the cost.

After seeing a large demand for access to space from smallsat providers, Spaceflight looked for innovative choices to offer routine, low-cost options for payloads to reach orbit. The result was dedicated rideshare launches. The recent purchase of the Electron rocket is the second rocket that Spaceflight purchased, the first being a SpaceX Falcon 9 in the fall of 2015.

Spaceflight’s dedicated rideshare service is a unique method to reach space that stands to make a large impact on the smallsat industry by removing many of the hurdles that satellites providers face when attempting to access space. So when distributing this news, it was critical that it demonstrate the expansion of the service. When getting the news to reporters, Communiqué made a point to highlight the positive response the first mission received and offered supporting facts to support the statement. For example, the first dedicated rideshare mission is at 90 percent capacity. We also chose to highlight how this launch would service a unique group of satellite developers looking to reach 45 to 60 degrees on orbit.

The response to the news was very positive and many of the space industry journalists, as well as several technology and local publications, covered the news. Below is a list of the coverage Spaceflight secured from this announcement.

1. Gaining Even More Rideshare Launch Frequencies… Spaceflight Purchases a Rocket Lab Electron—SatNews, 5/17/17
2. Spaceflight Purchases Electron Rocket from Rocket Lab—Via Satellite, 5/17/17
3. Spaceflight buys Rocket Lab Electron launch for a small satellite sampler—GeekWire, 5/17/17
4. Rocket Lab Readies First flight of Electron Booster—Leonard David Blog, 5/17/17
5. Spaceflight Purchases an Electron Rocket from Rocket Lab—Parabolic Arc, 5/17/17
6. Spaceflight Purchases an Electron Rocket from Rocket Lab for More Frequent, Affordable Rideshare to Space—SpaceRef, 5/17/17
7. Spaceflight purchases Electron launch for medium-inclination payloads—SpaceNews, 5/18/17
8. Spaceflight Purchases Electron Launch from Rocket Lab—Space.com, 5/18/17
9. Spaceflight buys Electron Rocket from Rocket Lab—Space Daily, 5/18/17
10. Rocket Lab signs up new customer as launch window gets closer—Hawke’s Bay Today, 5/18/17
11. Electron counting down—The Gisborne Herald, 5/18/17
12. Spaceflight Industries Purchases Dedicated Electron Rocket—Spaceflight Insider, 5/19/17
13. Rocket Lab to provide Electron launch vehicle for new Spaceflight mission—Aerospace-Technology.com, 5/19/17
14. Week in Review: Remembering the Seattle of Chris Cornell and Grunge—Xconomy, 5/19/17
15. Rocket Lab Launches Its First Rocket Into Space—Forbes, 5/25/17