Tag: Rocket Lab
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Rocket Lab launches successfully, fails mid-air recovery attempt
Six months after its first first-stage recovery attempt, Rocket Lab tried its hand at booster recovery once again, with the launch of its 32nd mission, “Catch Me If You Can.” Liftoff took place on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at 6:27 AM NZDT (17:27 UTC on Friday, Nov. 4). The California-based launch services company made its…
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Rocket Lab launches “It Argos Up From Here” mission
Rocket Lab has launched its 31st Electron rocket on the “It Argos Up From Here” mission from Rocket Lab’s private Launch Complex 1B (LC-1B), on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. Liftoff occurred on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 6:09 AM NZT (17:09 UTC on Oct. 7). This launch marks Rocket Lab’s eighth launch of 2022…
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Rocket Lab launches “The Owl Spreads Its Wings” mission
Rocket Lab has made the company and the Electron rocket’s 30th flight. “The Owl Spreads Its Wings,” the company’s third dedicated flight for Japanese company Synspective, launched to Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) on Thursday, Sept. 15, lifting off at 20:38 UTC. “The Owl Spreads Its Wings” saw Electron launch its 150th satellite since the rocket’s first…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…