Tag: Electron
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Smallsat launch providers readying for first missions of 2021
Virgin Orbit technicians complete work with the LauncherOne vehicle’s payload fairing for the Launch Demo 2 mission, which is set to loft 10 NASA-sponsored CubeSats into orbit. Credit: Virgin Orbit/Greg Robinson Virgin Orbit and Rocket Lab teams are gearing up for their first missions of the year in the coming days, with Virgin’s air-launched rocket…
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Rocket Lab closes out year with launch of Synspective’s first radar satellite
A Rocket Lab Electron launcher takes off from New Zealand on Tuesday. Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab’s seventh and final launch of the year delivered a small radar observation satellite into orbit for Synspective, a Japanese startup planning a fleet of 30 or more Earth-imaging spacecraft providing day-and-night imagery of cities around the world. The…
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The Owl’s Night Begins: Japan’s StriX-α satellite launches with Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab has launched the 17th flight of their small satellite launcher vehicle, Electron, on a mission named “The Owl’s Night Begins” after the only payload onboard: StriX-α. Liftoff occurred at 10:09 UTC (05:09 EST; 23:09 local time) on 15 December 2020 from Launch Complex 1A on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. The launch…
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Rocket Lab, raising money for children’s hospital, succeeds with first stage recovery
Rocket Lab is preparing to launch its sixth mission of 2020 — a launch which the company calls its “most diverse mission yet,” with 30 satellites onboard and a launch broadcast that will raise money for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Starship children’s hospital. Electron will blast off from LC-1A on New Zealand’s Māhia…
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Rocket Lab to attempt booster recovery on next mission
File photo of an Electron rocket launching on a previous mission. Credit: Rocket Lab / Andrew Burns / Simon Moffatt On its next mission set for liftoff later this month, Rocket Lab will try to recover the first stage of its Electron small satellite launcher after parachuting into the Pacific Ocean downrange from the company’s…
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Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches 10 small satellites
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand carrying Canon’s CE-SAT-2B Earth-imaging satellite and nine SuperDove Earth observation CubeSats for Planet. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. Rocket Lab’s live video webcast begins approximately 15 minutes prior to launch,…
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Rocket Lab successfully launches satellites for Planet and Canon
An Electron rocket lifts off from Rocket Lab’s launch base in New Zealand with 10 small satellites for Planet and Canon. Credit: Rocket Lab An experimental satellite for Canon Electronics and nine Earth-imaging CubeSats for Planet fired into orbit from New Zealand on Wednesday on top of a Rocket Lab Electron booster, taking the place…
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Rocket Lab launches “In Focus” mission for Planet, Canon imaging satellites
Rocket Lab launched their fifth Electron mission of 2020 — a rideshare for Planet Labs and Spaceflight Industries named “In Focus,” a reference to Electron’s payload of 10 Earth-imaging satellites. The flight targeted a 500 kilometer sun-synchronous orbit, ideal for Earth observation missions as the high inclination means the satellites can cover large portions of…
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Rocket Lab calls off launch attempt in New Zealand
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket is seen venting oxygen vapors during a countdown in New Zealand on Wednesday (U.S. time). Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab canceled a launch attempt Wednesday in New Zealand to evaluate unexpected sensor data, postponing a mission that will deliver 10 small commercial Earth-imaging satellites to orbit. The California-based rocket company was…
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Live coverage: Rocket Lab scrubs launch of 10 commercial smallsats
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand carrying Canon’s CE-SAT-2B Earth-imaging satellite and nine SuperDove Earth observation CubeSats for Planet. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. Rocket Lab’s live video webcast begins approximately 15 minutes prior to launch,…