Garden gnome from Half-Life will go to conquer space

Rocket Lab, based in New Zealand, announced that Gabe Newell will help launch the company's satellites, as well as test new technologies with them. The Valve founder will make a symbolic move - he will launch Gnome Chompski from the Half-Life series of games into space.

The New Zealand private space company will launch 30 satellites from various companies into orbit. Most of the launches will be for scientific purposes only. Attached to the stage of the launch vehicle, called Electron, will be a gnome figurine from Half-Life. This experiment should show how the new 3D printing technology can be used in the construction of spaceships, namely in the manufacture of various components for rockets.

Gnome Chompski is doomed to a one-way journey. The reason for this is the unsuitable conditions for its transportation outside the atmosphere. If it should remain intact when ascending into orbit, then upon returning to Earth upon entering the atmosphere, the gnome should melt under the influence of high temperature. The very sending of this figurine is not only scientific, but also humorous, and is also a reference to Half-Life 2: Episode Two. There, in one of the missions, you could send Gnome Chompski into space and get the achievement "Little Astronaut" for this achievement.

The founder of Valve also wants to combine business with pleasure. To attract more viewers and make a voluntary donation, Gabe Newell has promised to pay one dollar for each viewer who will watch the launch of Electron live. Dollars will be counted not only for those viewers who see everything in real time, but also for those who have time to watch the broadcasts on the first day. All funds raised will be sent to the intensive care unit of Starship Children's Hospital in New Zealand.

The Electron rocket is to be launched on November 16. The Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand will be the site of the launch of the spacecraft. You can watch what is happening here.

Not so long ago it became known that Gabe Newell has been living in New Zealand since the beginning of the pandemic. Initially, the founder of Valve wanted to set up a new office in this country to transport all the staff of the game studio there and move to offline work. The reason for this desire was the good living conditions as well as the extremely low incidence of COVID-19 on the island. In the period from October 19 to November 1, only 73 cases were registered in New Zealand.