Vector Launch

Key takeaways

Vector Launch belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Vector Launch to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Vector Launch from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Vector Launch, Inc. (formerly Vector Space Systems) was an American space technology company which aims to launch suborbital and orbital payloads. Vector Launch declared bankruptcy in December 2019 and re-emerged in October 2020, only to be re-acquired by the original CEO Jim Cantrell and his new space company, Phantom Space.

History The company's first CEO was Jim Cantrell, who co-founded the company with John Garvey, Shaun Coleman, Ken Sunshine, and Eric Besnard. Cantrell had previously helped Elon Musk found SpaceX in 2001. Vector Launch, Inc. received US$1 million in seed angel funding from entrepreneur Shaun Coleman soon after its foundation in 2016 and additionally $21 million from Sequoia Capital, Shasta Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners in June 2017. It had offices in Tucson, Arizona, and an engineering facility in Huntington Beach, California. In July 2016, Vector acquired Garvey Spacecraft, and began designing rockets based on Garvey's designs. The company was also investing in software capabilities. It had a platform called Galactic Sky, located in San Jose, California, which was developing software-defined satellites to provide start-ups and entrepreneurs with satellite capabilities. In 2017, Cantrell signed a letter of intent to collaborate with his son's cryptocurrency company, called Nexus, that was attempting to develop a satellite-supported currency exchange system. In 2016 York Space Systems signed a $60 million launch deal with Vector, to launch six satellites into orbit, which was never funded. By August 2016, Vector had tested hardware in suborbital flight with the launch of its P-20 prototype rocket, as well as atmospheric test flights of the Vector-R from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California and Spaceport Camden in Georgia. By 2017, Vector had announced that it planned to use the LC-46 launch site in Florida for its Vector-R rocket starting in 2018, but did not achieve that target date. Additionally Vector was investigating adding more minimal infrastructure launch pads either located on land in the USA using mobile semi-trailers as tank trucks and a transporter erector launcher (TEL), or to launch the rocket from barges on the ocean. By February 2018, the company was planning to launch the first orbital flight of the Vector-R in July 2018 from the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska. As of 2017, the first launch of the Vector-H was expected to occur in 2019. On August 7, 2019, the company was awarded its first U.S. Air Force mission, to launch the ASLON-45 spacecraft for $3.4 million. However, the contract was cancelled when the US Air Force determined Vector did not meet minimum requirements for solvency. On August 9, 2019, Cantrell left Vector Launch and John Garvey assumed the role of CEO. The future of the company was left uncertain as it reportedly faced serious financial problems.

Bankruptcy On December 13, 2019, Vector Launch Inc. and one affiliated company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. It was revealed that the August layoffs had been precipitated by the withdrawal of financial support by Sequoia Capital, one of the company's largest investors, which led other potential investors to back out of an upcoming funding round in a domino effect. Vector has filed a motion with the court for approval to sell its assets pursuant to Section 363 of the US bankruptcy code (a provision that allows for the orderly sale of assets from a bankrupt estate). The stalking horse bidder is Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin acquired Vector's GalacticSky assets by default after a bankruptcy court received no qualified bids. Another bidder acquired the remaining launch vehicle assets. On October 29, 2020, Vector re-emerged with a new CEO to focus the company on suborbital and orbital flight.

Post-bankruptcy On October 29, 2020, Robert Spalding announced that Vector Launch is "focused on suborbital, and eventually orbital flight" and is targeting both the governmental and commercial sectors. On January 11, 2021, Vector's remaining shareholders unanimously voted on a wind down plan. On October 11, 2022, Vector announced their renewed focus on national security related missions as well as the addition of Shaun Coleman, Vector's original investor and former General Manager of GalacticSky to their new board of directors On March 7, 2023, U.S. Rocket engine provider Ursa Major Technologies announced that they would supply several 5,000-pound thrust "Hadley" engines to power the main stage of Vector-R launch vehicles to demonstrate capabilities for future national security missions.

Acquisition by Former CEO On February 26, 2026, it was announced that Vector Launch would be acquired by Phantom Space, headed by the original CEO of Vector Launch, Jim Cantrell, for an undisclosed eight-figure range. Jim Cantrell told media that "~80% of the assets acquired would help Phantom accelerate the development of its Daytona rocket". Reported assets in the acquisition include:

Communication and launch control equipment; Ground support equipment; Engineering data and patents, tooling equipment, and Vector's inventory of parts; Test rocket vehicle and multiple engines.

Services

Launchers The company plans to provide launch services with two rockets, the smaller Vector-R, and the larger Vector-H. Both rockets use a single engine for their second stage and a cluster of engines (three in the Vector-R and six in the Vector-H) for their first stage, all of which use LOX and propylene as propellants. Vector planned to recover the first stage of its rockets for reuse. Other notable design features include a carbon fiber structure, some 3D printed engine parts, minimal infrastructure launch pads, and a fast launch cadence, which the company had hoped to reach 100 launches per year. The first client of Vector was Iceye, a company in Finland.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Vector Launch

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Vector Launch claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Vector Launch before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Vector Launch ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Vector Launch

In research: Vector Launch appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Vector Launch in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Vector Launch is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2016 establishments in Arizona, Aerospace companies of the United States, American companies established in 2016, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Vector Launch outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Vector Launch in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Vector Launch means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Vector Launch out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Vector Launch in simple terms?

Vector Launch, Inc. (formerly Vector Space Systems) was an American space technology company which aims to launch suborbital and orbital payloads.

Why does Vector Launch matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Vector Launch?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Vector Launch.