In February 2019 the company presented its E-2 engine, which was made in Germany by AMCM using its specialized M4K printer.[2] The engine uses liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants.[3] The company's Launcher Light rocket was designed to carry payloads of up to 150 kg to low Earth orbit.[4]
In November 2019 the US Air Force awarded the company $1.5 million to accelerate development and testing of its E-2 rocket engine.[5]
In March 2021 Launcher moved its headquarters from New York to a 24,000-square-foot building in Hawthorne, California.[6][7]
The company has developed an orbital transfer vehicle named Orbiter that uses ethane and nitrous oxide as propellants for use as the third stage of the canceled Light rocket, or for use on other launch vehicles.[9] In June 2021, the company raised $11.7 million in a Series-A round of funding to accelerate the development of its first orbital vehicle.[10] Orbiter is compatible with both Launcher Light and SpaceX Falcon rideshare flights.[11]
SN1, Orbiter's first mission was launched on January 3, 2023, from Cape Canaveral, Florida on SpaceX's Falcon 9 Transporter-6 rideshare flight, transporting payload from eight customers.[12][13] SN1 failed shortly after deployment, with all but one customer payloads lost.[14]
Following Vast's acquisition of Launcher the Orbiter program was discontinued, with the company now focusing on the development of the E-2 liquid rocket engine.[15]
