Rocket Lab @RocketLabIt's almost time to go to space for the 50th time...but not just yet. Due to unfavorable weather, we’re now targeting no earlier than 21 June NZST for the launch of “No Time Toulouse”, our 50th Electron launch. ☂️🌬️🌧️🚀 NZST: 6:13 am, Friday 21 June🚀 PDT: 11:13 am, Thursday 20 June🚀 EDT: 2:13 pm, Thursday 20 June
TOKYO, 2024, June 18th – Synspective Inc., a provider of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite data and analytics solutions, has signed its largest launch agreement to date. The ten-launch deal is with Rocket Lab, a global leader in launch services and space systems. Synspective founder and CEO Dr. Motoyuki Arai, Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck, and New Zealand’s Prime Minister, the Right Honorable Christopher Luxon attended the announcement event at the Tokyo Imperial Hotel. Luxon is on his first visit to Japan as Prime Minister, leading a business delegation to meet investors and strengthen bilateral ties.Rocket Lab has been the sole launch provider for Synspective’s StriX constellation, successfully deploying four StriX satellites across four dedicated Electron launches since 2020. In addition to the 10 new dedicated launches signed today, another two launches for Synspective have already been booked and are scheduled for launch this year from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The launches in the new deal will take place across 2025 and 2027.By launching as the dedicated payload on Electron, Synspective controls the launch schedule and the precise deployment parameters for each satellite. This enables the company to build a satellite constellation on its terms and maximize coverage for its partners and customers.
Rocket Lab @RocketLabMISSION SUCCESS for our 50th Electron launch! Welcome to orbit, @KineisIoT .Congratulations to the entire Rocket Lab team on reaching 50 launches faster than any other commercially developed rocket. Thank you to the many customers who have flown on Electron and helped us revolutionize access to orbit for small satellites.
Mission Name: A Sky Full Of SARsRocket: ElectronLaunch Date: NET July 20 UTCLaunch Site: Launch Complex 1Launch Time: Launch window opens 19:15 UTCPayload: Acadia-3Mission OverviewRocket Lab will launch a dedicated mission for Capella Space, a provider of SAR imagery data and solutions for government and commercial applications.‘A Sky Full of SARs’ will be Rocket Lab’s fifth launch overall for Capella Space across multiple launch contracts beginning from 2020. The mission is scheduled to launch during a 14-day window that opens on July 21 NZST / July 20 UTC from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. The mission will deploy Capella’s Acadia-3 SAR satellite, a synthetic aperture radar satellite for Earth imagery and observation, to a mid-inclination 615km circular orbit to add to Capella’s existing SAR satellite constellation in low Earth orbit.
Mission Name: Owl For One, One For OwlRocket: ElectronLaunch Date: TBCLaunch Site: Launch Complex 1Launch Time: TBCPayload: New StriX SatelliteMission OverviewRocket Lab will launch a dedicated mission for Synspective, a Japanese Earth observation company deploying a constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites designed to deliver imagery that can detect millimetre-level changes to the Earth’s surface from space. The “Owl for One, One for Owl” mission is scheduled to launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand in the coming weeks. In addition to deploying a single StriX satellite to low Earth orbit for this mission, Rocket Lab will perform an advanced mid-mission maneuver with Electron’s Kick Stage to shield the satellite from the sun and reduce radiation exposure
Rocket Lab @RocketLabLaunch update🚀Our next Electron launch will move to a later date at the request of mission partner @capellaspace so they can complete additional testing. With rockets at the ready, we’ll be moving to our next mission in the manifest with @synspective, now flying next on Electron within the next few weeks.This is Electron’s tailored launch service at its best, demonstrating the value and market demand for dedicated small launch. Flying dedicated means customers have flexibility over their launch schedule so that their satellites aren’t left behind if they miss a launch deadline, like on traditional rideshare missions.
Rocket Lab @RocketLabFresh HASTE rockets coming down the production line alongside Electron, ready to take to the skies from LC-2 at @NASAWallops to enable suborbital missions.
Mission Name: Owl For One, One For OwlRocket: ElectronLaunch Date: NET July 30th UTCLaunch Site: Launch Complex 1Launch Time: NET 16:15Payload: New StriX SatelliteMission OverviewRocket Lab will launch a dedicated mission for Synspective, a Japanese Earth observation company deploying a constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites designed to deliver imagery that can detect millimetre-level changes to the Earth’s surface from space. The “Owl for One, One for Owl” mission is scheduled to launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand in the coming weeks. In addition to deploying a single StriX satellite to low Earth orbit for this mission, Rocket Lab will perform an advanced mid-mission maneuver with Electron’s Kick Stage to shield the satellite from the sun and reduce radiation exposure
Long Beach, California. 24 July, 2024 – Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced the launch window for its 51st Electron launch, a mission that will launch the latest satellite in a constellation being built by its long-standing customer Synspective.The “Owl for One, One for Owl” mission is scheduled to launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand during a 14-day launch window that opens on July 31st NZST / July 30th UTC. In addition to deploying a single StriX satellite to low Earth orbit for this mission, Rocket Lab will perform an advanced mid-mission maneuver with Electron’s Kick Stage to shield the satellite from the sun and reduce radiation exposure.The mission will be the fifth launch of a total of 16 launches on Electron for Synspective, a Japanese Earth observation company deploying a constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites designed to deliver imagery that can detect millimetre-level changes to the Earth’s surface from space. Rocket Lab has been the sole launch provider for Synspective’s constellation to date, and this latest mission continues a lasting and trusted partnership to deploy their StriX constellation to low Earth orbit. Most recently that partnership was further cemented by a new multi-launch contract of ten dedicated Electron launches for Synspective announced in June 2024, with the launches in that new deal set to take place across 2025-2027.Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, says: “Synspective’s long-standing trust in the team to build out their constellation is recognition of Electron’s continued dominance as the ultimate small launch vehicle for the industry. Schedule flexibility, a reliable rocket launching more and more frequently, and our unique in-space capabilities that support mission needs are all critical functions at play in the multi-launch contracts being signed by our domestic and international launch customers. It’s an honor to continue launching for Synspective through our ongoing partnership.”“Owl for One, One for Owl” will be Rocket Lab’s 51st Electron mission and ninth launch this year. As well as an additional launch for Synspective scheduled to take place before the end of this year, other launches for multi-launch contract customers include space-based intelligence company BlackSky and French Internet-of-Things (IoT) company Kinéis.
Rocket Lab @RocketLabWith an increased POV of ~80%, we're standing down from today's launch attempt for @synspective due to weather. Details to come on our new target launch date.
Rocket Lab @RocketLabWith heavy rain and thick cloud settling in for the next few days, our next launch attempt for @synspective has been scheduled for NET Saturday, August 3rd local time.New launch window opens:🚀NZST | 04:15 AM, Aug 3🚀UTC | 16:15, Aug 2🚀EDT | 12:15 PM, Aug 2🚀PDT | 09:15 AM, Aug 2
Rocket Lab @RocketLabOwl aboard! 🦉🚀Our next mission will be the 5th of 16 launches for @synspective to deploy their constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites. Launching Aug 3 NZST / Aug 2 UTC:🚀 NZST = 4:19 AM🚀 UTC = 16:19🚀 PDT = 09:19 AM🚀 EDT = 12:19 PM
Rocket Lab @RocketLabLOx fill is underway at LC-1 for our 51st launch. Lift-off is scheduled for 04:39 am NZST / 16:39 UTC
Jonathan McDowell @planet4589LAUNCH at 1639 UTC of Strix radar satellite on Electron 51 from Mahia, New Zealand
Rocket Lab @RocketLabTwo weekends in a row of Electron launches 🚀🚀 Our next mission for @capellaspace is scheduled for lift-off from Launch Complex 1 on Sunday August 11th.Launch window opens:🚀NZT | 11:15 PM🚀UTC | 11:15🚀EDT | 07:15 AM🚀PDT | 04:15 AMhttps://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/next-mission/
Scheduled for February 2025:QuoteEta Space Develops New Space Power InverterMay 22, 2024[...]The flight version of the FPI-240-LEO has been installed into the electronics enclosure and attached to the LOXSAT payload. Upon final assembly, the payload will undergo integrated acceptance testing including vibration, EMI, and thermal vacuum operation this summer. The payload will then be shipped to Rocket Lab USA in preparation for a February 2025 launch. Once in orbit, the inverter will play a critical role in completing the mission test objectives.[...]
Eta Space Develops New Space Power InverterMay 22, 2024[...]The flight version of the FPI-240-LEO has been installed into the electronics enclosure and attached to the LOXSAT payload. Upon final assembly, the payload will undergo integrated acceptance testing including vibration, EMI, and thermal vacuum operation this summer. The payload will then be shipped to Rocket Lab USA in preparation for a February 2025 launch. Once in orbit, the inverter will play a critical role in completing the mission test objectives.[...]
Rocket Lab's $RKLB customer BlackSky $BKSY confirmed today with Q2 results that the first of the 5 contracted launches with electron for their new Gen 3 constellation is scheduled for Q4 2024.
...Beck said this hot-fire test keeps the company on schedule to have Neutron ready for its inaugural launch by the middle of 2025. ...Electron cadenceRocket Lab’s existing rocket, Electron, has flown nine times so far this year, most recently Aug 2. A tenth launch, for Capella Space, is scheduled for as soon as Aug. 11 from its Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.However, the company expects to perform only three Electron launches in the third quarter, meaning just one more launch from mid-August through the end of September.“I mean, it’s really difficult to predict. As you see, launches move around all the time,” Beck said when asked about the company’s launch rate in the earnings call.Adam Spice, Rocket Lab’s chief financial offer, said the rate of launches should increase in the final quarter of the year. “We expect to be able to launch significantly more in Q4 than we are in Q3,” he said. “Whether that means you go from three launches to four launches, or from three launches to, say, seven launches, I think that’s the range that we’re operating within.”Both Spice and Beck said that variability in launch dates is driven by customer readiness and not any issues with Electron itself. “There hasn’t been a mission on that manifest that we couldn’t support from a production perspective,” Spice said. “Any volatility we’ve seen versus that manifest has all been customer delay related.”Earlier in the year, Rocket Lab projected performing up to 22 Electron launches, both orbital flights and missions of the vehicle’s suborbital variant, HASTE. The company has since dialed back those expectations.Beck said that the company now expects 15 to 18 Electron launches in the year. “There is no customer readiness to support a launch beyond 18 for this year. So that’s really where things cap out,” he said.
Rocket Lab @RocketLabLaunch operations are underway for our next Electron mission! Less than 4 hours until launch from LC-1 for @capellaspace Lift-off set for:🚀NZT | 11:23 PM 🚀UTC | 11:23 🚀EDT | 07:23 AM 🚀PDT | 04:23 AM🛈 https://rocketlabusa.com/missions/next-mission/
