In what will be a quiet week for orbital launches, Rocket Lab launched its first suborbital Electron mission; SpaceX launched the Satria satellite to geostationary transfer orbit; China launched the Shiyan 25 payload to a Sun-synchronous low-Earth orbit; United Launch Alliance (ULA) will launch the penultimate Delta IV Heavy on the NROL-68 mission; and SpaceX launched two Starlink missions.<\/p>\n
These missions marked 2023\u2019s 91st through 95th launch attempts, with an orbital launch attempt occurring every 1.85 days.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Electron \u2013 DYNAMO-A<\/p>\n
Rocket Lab\u2019s first hypersonic accelerator suborbital test Electron (HASTE) mission lifted off on Saturday, June 17 at 9:24 PM EDT (01:24 UTC on June 18) from Rocket Lab\u2019s Launch Complex 2 at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. In April of this year, the defense innovation unit selected the HASTE program to prototype a hypersonic launch under the hypersonic and high-cadence testing capabilities program. As the name implies, this program aims to increase hypersonic launch cadence and decrease cost.<\/p>\n
Rocket Lab\u2019s HASTE missions use its well-proven Electron launch vehicle with a modified kick stage and fairings. As the rocket is not attempting to reach orbit, Electron\u2019s payload capacity increases to 700 kilograms; however, due to the classified nature of this mission, the payload and its mass are not known.<\/p>\n
The suborbital launch had an inclination of roughly 38 degrees with the payload splashing down around 61 degrees West, 35 degrees North. Rocket Lab later confirmed the mission was successful.<\/p>\n