Tag: New Zealand
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Rocket Lab Marks 80th Electron Launch With Open Cosmos Mission
Rocket Lab has completed its 80th Electron launch and its first mission of 2026, successfully deploying two spacecraft for European space technology company Open Cosmos, the company said. The mission, titled The Cosmos Will See You Now, lifted off at 11:52 p.m. NZDT on Jan. 22 from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.…
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Rocket Lab Launches iQPS Satellite on Sixth Mission for Japanese Earth-Imaging Firm
*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(–header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]” dir=”auto” tabindex=”-1″ data-turn-id=”request-WEB:7adac108-e90a-45dc-9fe0-7a16dc96bce8-1″ data-testid=”conversation-turn-4″ data-scroll-anchor=”true” data-turn=”assistant” style=”height: auto !important;”> Rocket Lab successfully launched its sixth mission for Japanese Earth-imaging company iQPS on Tuesday, deploying another satellite to strengthen the firm’s constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) spacecraft. An Electron rocket carrying the QPS-SAR-14 satellite, named Yachihoko-I, lifted off from Rocket Lab’s…
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Rocket Lab’s Electron Rocket Successfully Launches BlackSky Gen-3 Imaging Satellite
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket successfully placed a BlackSky high-resolution imaging satellite into orbit during a launch from its New Zealand facility. The launch occurred at 7:57 p.m. Eastern from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The Gen-3 satellite deployed 52 minutes after liftoff from the rocket’s kick stage into a circular orbit approximately 470 kilometers…
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Rocket Lab to Acquire Defense Sensor Firm Geost in $325 Million Deal
Rocket Lab, a U.S.-based launch services and aerospace manufacturer, announced plans to acquire defense technology supplier Geost in a deal valued at up to $325 million, marking a significant expansion into U.S. national security programs. The acquisition includes $125 million in cash and $150 million in Rocket Lab stock, with an additional $50 million in…
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Dawn Aerospace Opens Orders for Aurora Suborbital Spaceplane
Dawn Aerospace announced on Wednesday that it has begun accepting orders for its Aurora spaceplane, a reusable suborbital vehicle designed to carry small payloads into near-space, with first customer deliveries expected in 2027. The New Zealand-based aerospace company is positioning the Aurora as a commercially operated spaceplane, diverging from the conventional model of offering launch…
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Before snagging a chunk of space junk, Astroscale must first catch up to one
Astroscale, a well-capitalized Japanese startup, is preparing a small satellite to do something that has never been done in space. This new spacecraft, delivered into orbit Sunday by Rocket Lab, will approach a defunct upper stage from a Japanese H-IIA rocket that has been circling Earth for more than 15 years. Over the next few…
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Failure strikes Rocket Lab after launch from New Zealand
Rocket Lab’s string of 20 consecutive successful launches ended Tuesday when the company’s Electron rocket failed to deliver a small commercial radar imaging satellite into orbit. The problem occurred on the upper stage of the Electron rocket about two and a half minutes after liftoff from Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. This was the fourth…
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NASA’s final two TROPICS CubeSats launched by Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab’s Electron launcher lifts off from Launch Complex 1B in New Zealand with NASA’s fifth and sixth TROPICS hurricane research satellites. Credit: Rocket Lab The last two spacecraft in a four-satellite constellation of tropical cyclone research platforms took off late Thursday from New Zealand on a Rocket Lab Electron launcher, helping ensure NASA’s TROPICS…
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Electron rocket launches pair of cyclone-tracking CubeSats for NASA
Rocket Lab’s Electron launcher lifts off with two of NASA’s TROPICS hurricane research satellites. Credit: Rocket Lab The first pair of four NASA CubeSats designed to provide frequent updates of typhoon and hurricane development for new insights into how tropical storms evolve and intensify were launched by Rocket Lab from its New Zealand spaceport on…
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Twin TROPICS satellites set to be lofted into orbit
Artist’s illustration of a TROPICS CubeSat in space. Credit: NASA Rocket Lab’s launch of NASA’s second pair of TROPICS hurricane research satellites, reassigned from Astra following a launch failure last year, has been rescheduled for Sunday (U.S. time) after a delay due to unfavorable weather at the the company’s New Zealand spaceport. Originally planned as…