Cowboy Space debuts new 'Big Iron' rocket

Cowboy Space Corporation has unveiled the design for its new medium-lift "Big Iron" rocket that will double as its orbital data center satellite.Why it matters: U.S. demand for rockets is sky high.The private firm's C-Suite bets that building their own launch vehicle and reusing its components will lower costs.The offering also expands much-needed access for possible military and commercial payloads.Joseph Yaffe, Cowboy Space's chief operating officer, told Axios on Monday that the company aims to build the first rocket by the end of 2027."Big Iron" — a reference to the famous country western tune by Marty Robbins — is targeting its first flight in 2028.The rocket will bolster the company's ambitions for its 20,000-satellite "Stampede" constellation.What they're saying: "We set out to build data centers in space and found there weren't enough rockets to get them there, so we're building our own," Baiju Bhatt, Cowboy Space's CEO and founder, said in a press release."Opening it to the rest of the industry makes every flight safer and more efficient, and gives the country another path to orbit," he said.Zoom in: "Big Iron's" upper stage has deployable radiators and is designed to rem…

≈