Rocket Lab to demonstrate its rocket capabilities for cargo transportation across world

Rocket Lab, on Wednesday, announced that it has signed an agreement with the Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) to transport cargo across the world through space using its Neutron and Electron rockets. According to an official release, the agreement is called Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) and it is part of the US Air Force’s rocket cargo project.

Besides delivering cargo, the deal would also see Rocket Lab use its Photon spacecraft to establish on-orbit cargo depots and deliver re-entry capability. So far, Rocket Lab has conducted 149 satellite launches using the Electron rocket and its recent success came with the launch of NASA's CAPSTONE mission. 

Rocket Lab issues statement

A report by Space News revealed that Rocket Lab is the newest in the list of companies after Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to have signed such an agreement with the USTRANSCOM for the US military. Under this program, the involved parties would explore the viability of space launches for cargo delivery in reduced operation time and costs as compared to existing air capabilities. 

According to Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck, point-to-point space transportation would help move equipment in just a few hours thus benefitting during disaster management and other global emergencies. He further said that his company’s Electron rocket has proven its reliability and adaptability to reusability during NASA’s CAPSTONE mission.

“Neutron builds on Electron’s capability with a much larger payload capacity, and it’s designed for frequent re-flight, making it a perfect fit to enable fast deployment of vital resources while eliminating the en-route stops and air refueling required by air cargo solutions”, Beck said in an official statement. 

On the other hand, Jamie Malak, the CRADA’s government project lead at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) said that this agreement would allow the movement of critical military cargo in a much shorter time. "We will explore how to integrate rocket cargo systems in Defense logistics processes and how to make space transportation a reliable and practical option for operations of the future.”