Tag: Electron
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Electron fails during 13th launch
Nearly three weeks after the last flight of Rocket Lab’s workhorse Electron rocket, the California-based company performed the most rapid turnaround between launches to date with the launch of Electron Flight 13. However, the rocket failed during second stage flight. The mission – which featured seven small satellites as the payload – launched from Rocket…
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U.S. military to award smallsat launch contracts using COVID-19 relief funds
Astra’s first orbital-class small satellite launcher, designated “1 of 3,” is raised vertical in this photo taken at a spaceport on Kodiak Island, Alaska, in February. Credit: DARPA The U.S. military said this week it plans to award rideshare small satellite launch contracts to six U.S. companies using funds appropriated to help stabilize the defense…
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University-built CubeSat launched with swarm of auroral science nodes
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket climbs away from a launch base in New Zealand Saturday. Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab successfully launched five small satellites from New Zealand Saturday for customers in the United States and Australia, including a CubeSat with a novel swarm of tiny magnetometers to measure the plasma currents that shape colorful auroras.…
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Rocket Lab launches 12th Electron, continues work on future plans
After a several week stand-down due to the global coronavirus pandemic, Rocket Lab launched its 12th Electron mission to date—a rideshare mission with payloads from NASA, the NRO, and the University of New South Wales. Following a weather scrub earlier in the week, the mission launched from Rocket Lab’s Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula…
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Live coverage: Rocket Lab back in action with twilight launch in New Zealand
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand carrying payloads into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office, NASA and the University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. Rocket Lab’s live video…
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Rocket Lab rolls out first Electron at LC-2 ahead of Q3 2020 launch
Rocket Lab has rolled out the first Electron rocket that will lift off from Launch Complex 2 (LC-2), the company’s launch site at Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS). Rocket Lab has also performed several tests on the rocket and ground equipment to verify pad systems. LC-2’s maiden launch, carrying the sole payload of the STP-27RM…
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Rocket Lab reports recovery test success
Aiming for reusability, Rocket Lab has demonstrated the mid-air recovery of a booster test article in a key test before rigging the first stage of the company’s Electron launcher with a parachute on missions beginning later this year. The company said the test in early March showed Rocket Lab’s concept of catching a descending Electron…
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Rocket Lab successfully launches NRO satellite
A Rocket Lab Electron launcher lifted off from the company’s privately-owned launch site in New Zealand at 9:56 p.m. EST Thursday (0256 GMT; 3:56 p.m. New Zealand time on Friday) with the NROL-151 payload for the U.S. government’s National Reconnaissance Office. Credit: Rocket Lab A light-class Electron launcher built and owned by Rocket Lab fired…
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Rocket Lab begins 2020 launch campaign with dedicated NRO mission
After successfully launching six missions and over 20 payloads to orbit in 2019, Rocket Lab conducted its first launch of 2020 using its Electron rocket. The mission lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand to carry the classified NROL-151 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The 14-day launch window is set…
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Live coverage: Rocket Lab conducts first Electron launch of 2020
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand carrying the NROL-151 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. Rocket Lab’s live video webcast begins approximately 20 minutes prior to launch, and will be available…