{"id":11899,"date":"2021-01-20T18:41:33","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T10:41:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/rocket-lab-launches-communications-satellite-for-ohb\/"},"modified":"2021-01-20T18:41:33","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T10:41:33","slug":"rocket-lab-launches-communications-satellite-for-ohb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/rocket-lab-launches-communications-satellite-for-ohb\/","title":{"rendered":"Rocket Lab launches communications satellite for OHB"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An Electron launcher lifts off Wednesday from Rocket Lab\u2019s Launch Complex 1A in New Zealand. Credit: Rocket Lab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A mysterious small satellite built by the German company OHB, purported to be a pathfinder for a Chinese-owned communications constellation, took off from New Zealand Wednesday and soared into orbit on top of a Rocket Lab Electron launcher.<\/p>\n

The 59-foot-tall (18-meter) Electron rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 1A at Rocket Lab\u2019s privately-owned base on the North Island of New Zealand at 2:26 a.m. EST (0726 GMT; 8:26 p.m. local time), following a nearly half-hour delay to wait for ground winds go come within limits.<\/p>\n

Rocket Lab, headquartered in Long Beach, California, called off a previous launch attempt Saturday to evaluate data from a sensor on the Electron vehicle.<\/p>\n

Aside from the weather, Wednesday\u2019s terminal countdown appeared trouble-free, and the two-stage all-black carbon-fiber Electron launcher fired off its pad with more than 50,000 pounds of thrust from nine kerosene-fueled Rutherford engines.<\/p>\n

Arcing toward the south over the Pacific Ocean, the rocket passed the speed of sound in about a minute, then shut down its first stage engines about two-and-a-half minutes into the mission. The Electron\u2019s first stage separated moments later, allowing the second stage to ignite its single Rutherford engine, followed by jettison of the rocket\u2019s no-longer-needed nose cone after climbing into the airless vacuum of space.<\/p>\n

Rocket Lab is experimenting with recovering booster stages for reuse, but the company did not attempt to retrieve the Electron first stage on Wednesday\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

The second stage fired its engine for more than six minutes to reach a parking orbit. Rocket Lab\u2019s kick stage deployed from the Electron second stage, flew over Antartica, and then headed back north over the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n

The kick stage\u2019s Curie engine ignited to inject the mission\u2019s sole payload \u2014 a small communications satellite built by the German company OHB \u2014 into the proper polar orbit for separation several hundred miles above Earth.<\/p>\n