Tag: Rocket Lab
-
Rocket Lab & NASA launch CAPSTONE to the Moon
Rocket Lab has launched the CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) satellite to the Moon. It’s the first official mission of NASA’s Artemis program that is seeking to permanently return humans to the surface of our nearest astronomical body. Launching onboard the Electron rocket, liftoff occurred at 5:55 AM EDT (09:55…
-
Rocket Lab makes first booster catch attempt during successful There And Back Again mission
After announcing plans to recover and reuse the first stage of the company’s Electron rocket back in 2019, the California-based rocket company has attempted a mid-air recovery for the very first time. After a successful mid-air catch, the recovery helicopter pilot noticed different load characteristics than expected, and released the stage so it could softly…
-
Rocket Lab’s Electron launches two BlackSky satellites on 25th mission
Rocket Lab has launched two satellites for BlackSky on the 25th flight of its Electron rocket. The mission lifted off from Launch Complex-1A (LC-1A) at Rocket Lab’s launch site on the Mahia peninsula in New Zealand at 12:41 UTC on Saturday (1:41 AM local time on Saturday). California-based Rocket Lab has begun a tradition of…
-
Seattle’s Space Needle makes its debut on Rocket Lab mission patch, thanks to Spaceflight Inc.
The rocket nose cone for Rocket Lab’s mission to launch two BlackSky satellites is emblazoned with a mission patch that features Seattle’s Space Needle on the right side. (Rocket Lab via Twitter) What could be more fitting than to put Seattle’s Space Needle on the patch for an actual space mission? Even though this particular…
-
Methalox race likely to be won in 2022, but winner not yet clear
Right now, several methane-fueled rockets are in a race to orbit. With Starship from SpaceX, Vulcan from United Launch Alliance (ULA), and Neutron from Rocket Lab, all of the most active US launch providers are committed to using methalox-methane and oxygen. Upcoming launchers such as New Glenn from Blue Origin and the Terran family from…
-
Rocket Lab’s The Owl’s Night Continues makes first launch from LC-1B at Mahia
Rocket Lab has conducted its first launch from the second launch pad at its spaceport in Mahia, New Zealand on Tuesday, in the second of four planned missions for the Japanese earth observation company Synspective. Tuesday’s mission, The Owl’s Night Continues, is a follow-on to the December 2020 launch named The Owl’s Night Begins, which…
-
Rocket Lab launches another pair of BlackSky satellites
Rocket Lab has conducted its final orbital launch of the year, “A Data With Destiny.” Liftoff of the Electron rocket occurred at the beginning of the launch window that opened at 7:02 PM EST on December 8, 2021 (00:02 UTC on December 9) from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 on the Māhia Peninsula in New…
-
Neutron switches to methane/oxygen, 1 Meganewton Archimedes engine revealed
Rocket Lab has provided a significant update in the progress of their Neutron rocket, a vehicle aimed primarily at the small-scale interplanetary and low Earth orbit mega-constellation markets at first. Among the major updates announced by Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck were a complete switch of propellants, a firm Return To Launch Site landing plan…
-
Rocket Lab returns to action with dual satellite launch and successful booster splashdown
Following a hiatus of several months, Rocket Lab returned to launch operations with its 22nd overall mission on Thursday. An Electron rocket lifted off from the company’s Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand at 01:38 UTC (14:38 local time) on November 18, following delays to evaluate an out-of-family ground sensor and wait for cooperative…
-
Rocket Lab launches two more Earth observation satellites for BlackSky — and tracks a falling rocket
Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle rises from its New Zealand launch pad. (Rocket Lab via YouTube) BlackSky’s Earth-watching constellation has grown by two satellites, thanks to Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle and Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc.’s logistical help. Rocket Lab’s previous BlackSky launch ended in failure back in May, but the launch team traced the problem…