{"id":13116,"date":"2019-06-29T22:52:27","date_gmt":"2019-06-29T14:52:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/rocket-lab-flies-again-from-new-zealand-as-work-progresses-at-virginia-launch-pad\/"},"modified":"2019-06-29T22:52:27","modified_gmt":"2019-06-29T14:52:27","slug":"rocket-lab-flies-again-from-new-zealand-as-work-progresses-at-virginia-launch-pad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/rocket-lab-flies-again-from-new-zealand-as-work-progresses-at-virginia-launch-pad\/","title":{"rendered":"Rocket Lab flies again from New Zealand as work progresses at Virginia launch pad"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rocket Lab\u2019s Electron rocket lifts off from New Zealand on Saturday. Credit: Rocket Lab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rocket Lab\u2019s third flight of the year delivered seven small commercial, military and educational satellites into orbit Saturday after a launch from New Zealand, while construction of a new launch pad in Virginia continues on pace for completion by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

The 55-foot-tall (17-meter) Electron rocket fired nine kerosene-fueled Rutherford engines and climbed away from Rocket Lab\u2019s Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula on New Zealand\u2019s North Island at 0430 GMT (12:30 a.m. EDT) Saturday.<\/p>\n

Liftoff occurred at 4:30 p.m. New Zealand time, shortly before sunset at Rocket Lab\u2019s privately-operated launch base.<\/p>\n

The commercial two-stage rocket, made of black carbon composite structures, pitched toward the east over the Pacific Ocean. A downward-facing camera showed Mahia Peninsula receding from view as the Electron rocketed into space with more than 40,000 pounds of thrust.<\/p>\n

Two-and-a-half minutes into the mission, the Electron\u2019s first stage shut down and jettisoned, and the rocket\u2019s single Rutherford second stage engine ignited for a burn that lasted more than six minutes to reach a preliminary parking orbit.<\/p>\n

Rocket Lab\u2019s webcast streamed spectacular live video from cameras aboard the launch vehicle, but the live stream ended after the second stage completed its burn and released the Curie kick stage for the final phase of the flight.<\/p>\n

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A camera on-board the Electron rocket\u2019s second stage shows a Rutherford engine, with its glowing engine nozzle, and part of the launcher\u2019s payload fairing falling away from the vehicle around three minutes after liftoff Saturday. Credit: Rocket Lab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Curie kick stage, fueled by a \u201cgreen\u201d non-toxic fuel, was programmed to ignite around 50 minutes after liftoff for a 44-second firing intended to circularize the rocket\u2019s orbit 280 miles (450 kilometers) above Earth, with an inclination of 45 degrees to the equator.<\/p>\n

That maneuver apparently went off without a hitch. Peter Beck, Rocket Lab\u2019s CEO, tweeted that all payloads \u2014 totaling around 176 pounds (80 kilograms) \u2014 deployed from the Curie kick stage, ending what he called a \u201cperfect flight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s mission, the seventh orbital launch attempt overall for Rocket Lab, was delayed two days to allow time for crews at Launch Complex 1 to replace faulty components on ground tracking equipment used to support the rocket\u2019s flight termination system, which ground teams would activate to destroy the vehicle if it flew off course.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat particularly system is getting quite old now,\u201d Beck said. \u201cWe\u2019re having more and more maintenance issues with it, and we are moving to an autonomous flight termination system here shortly, so it\u2019s just a matter of keeping that equipment running,\u201d Beck said in an interview with Spaceflight Now before the launch.<\/p>\n

Rocket Lab\u2019s first Electron launch in 2017 fell short of orbit after a ground tracking system lost a telemetry link with the rocket, prompting safety officials to send a destruct command to the vehicle. An investigation revealed the error was with the ground equipment, and the rocket itself was flying fine at the time of the destruct signal.<\/p>\n

With Saturday\u2019s flight, all six Electron missions since the failed first launch have been successful<\/p>\n

\u201cGiving our Flight 1 experience, we double and triple check that equipment every flight,\u201d Beck said. \u201cIt\u2019s not something we take risks with, so we replaced some hardware, and then we needed to run through a full set of verifications, and that all checked out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s mission was nicknamed \u201cMake it Rain\u201d in a nod to the damp climate of Seattle, the home of Spaceflight, and at Rocket Lab\u2019s launch site in New Zealand.<\/p>\n