The Ātea sub-orbital sounding rocket, named after the Māori word for “space,” had its first and only launch in late 2009. The 6-meter (20-foot) rocket, weighing around 60 kilograms (130 pounds), was designed to carry a 2-kilogram (4.4-pound) payload to an altitude of approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles). Its primary purpose was to transport scientific payloads or personal items.
Design and Construction
The rocket, designated Ātea-1 and called Manu Karere (Bird Messenger) by the local Māori iwi, was launched successfully from Great Mercury Island near the Coromandel Peninsula on November 30, 2009, at 01:23 UTC (14:23 local time). It was tracked using a GPS uplink connected to the Inmarsat-B satellite constellation. After its flight, Ātea-1 splashed down about 50 kilometers (31 miles) downrange. While the payload contained instrumentation, it had no telemetry downlink and was not recovered, as it was a disposable dart with no intrinsic value.
Rocket Lab noted that the payload contained delicate instruments and advised vessels at sea not to handle it, as it was “potentially hazardous.” Telemetry data from the boost stage, which was successfully recovered, allowed the company to evaluate the rocket’s performance. These findings facilitated Rocket Lab’s transition to developing the Electron rocket, marking a significant step forward in their capabilities.
- Launch Site: Great Mercury Island, near the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand
- Splashdown Range: Approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) downrange
The Propellant
The Ātea-1 sounding rocket used a solid propellant for its propulsion system. Solid propellants are common in sounding rockets due to their simplicity, reliability, and ease of handling compared to liquid-fueled systems. These characteristics made the Ātea-1 an efficient and cost-effective choice for suborbital scientific missions and technology demonstration at the time.
Technical Specifications
- Length: 6 meters (20 feet)
- Weight: Approximately 60 kilograms (130 pounds)
- Payload Capacity: Up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds)
- Flight Altitude: Around 120 kilometers (75 miles)
- Velocity: Designed to reach supersonic speeds during ascent
- Tracking: GPS uplink integrated with the Inmarsat-B satellite constellation
- Telemetry: Boost stage provided downlink telemetry for performance analysis
- Payload Recovery: Payload was not recovered; it was considered disposable
Current Status
The Ātea-1 sounding rocket was developed by Rocket Lab, and was a suborbital rocket designed for scientific payload delivery. The Ātea-1 was a demonstration of Rocket Lab’s early capabilities and served as a stepping stone toward the company’s development of more advanced systems like the Electron rocket.
