{"id":10783,"date":"2021-12-09T19:04:43","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T11:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/blacksky-continues-rapid-fire-launch-campaign-with-rocket-lab-mission\/"},"modified":"2021-12-09T19:04:43","modified_gmt":"2021-12-09T11:04:43","slug":"blacksky-continues-rapid-fire-launch-campaign-with-rocket-lab-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/blacksky-continues-rapid-fire-launch-campaign-with-rocket-lab-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"BlackSky continues rapid-fire launch campaign with Rocket Lab mission"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An Electron rocket fires off its launch pad in New Zealand at 7:02 p.m. EST (0002 GMT) with two BlackSky optical Earth imaging satellites. Credit: Rocket Lab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two more BlackSky high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites rode a Rocket Lab Electron launcher into orbit Wednesday from New Zealand, the second mission for Rocket Lab in three weeks, and the third satellite delivery for BlackSky in the same period.<\/p>\n

The two microsatellites, each about the size of a small refrigerator, flew into space stacked one on top of the other inside the nose cone of Rocket Lab\u2019s Electron launch vehicle.<\/p>\n

The launch was the third mission to deliver BlackSky Earth observation satellites into orbit in less than a month, following a dedicated Rocket Lab mission with two spacecraft Nov. 17, and a SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral on Dec. 2 that carried two BlackSky payloads as rideshare passengers with a batch of Starlink internet satellites.<\/p>\n

The 59-foot-tall (18-meter) Electron rocket fired its nine Rutherford main engines and lifted off from Mahia Pensinula, located on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, at 7:02:07  p.m. EST Wednesday (0002:07 GMT Thursday).<\/p>\n

The launch occurred at 1:02 p.m. Thursday in New Zealand.<\/p>\n

Producing more than 50,000 pounds of thrust, the kerosene-burning first stage steered Rocket Lab\u2019s sixth and final mission of the year on a course east from the New Zealand coastline. The booster shut down and detached two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff to fall into the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n

Unlike the Nov. 17 launch for BlackSky, Rocket Lab did not plan to recover the Electron booster on Wednesday\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

A single Rutherford engine on the second stage ignited to lob the twin BlackSky satellites into a preliminary parking orbit. During the six-minute second stage burn, the Electron rocket shed its clamshell-like carbon fiber composite nose cone and swapped batteries powering the engine\u2019s pumps.<\/p>\n

The Electron\u2019s second stage released a kick stage about nine minutes after launch. The kick stage flew halfway around the world before igniting its Curie engine to place the BlackSky satellites into an orbit targeted at an altitude 267 miles (430 kilometers), with an inclination of 42 degrees to the equator.<\/p>\n

Rocket Lab said both BlackSky satellites separated from the kick stage on time, and in the correct orbit.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongratulations and welcome to space once again, BlackSky,\u201d said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab\u2019s CEO. \u201cThese back-to-back missions are a showcase of the benefits of rapid-launch in action: quick constellation expansion, streamlined access to space, and fast delivery of global insights to BlackSky customers that Rocket Lab is proud to facilitate with dedicated launch on Electron.\u201d<\/p>\n