Electron : LC-1B : TROPICS F3 : 26 May 2023 (03:46 UTC)

• #40 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:46
• T-2 minutes. Vehicle is on internal power. FTS is green and ready for launch.
  
  LOX load is complete.

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• #41 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:47
• T-1 minute. Tanks pressed for flight.

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• #42 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:48
• Liftoff!

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• #43 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:48
• T+1 minute.

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• #44 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:50
• T+2 minutes.

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• #45 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:51
• First stage separation.
  
  T+3 minutes.

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• #46 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:52
• Fairing separation.
  
  T+4 minutes.

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• #47 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:53
• T+5 minutes.

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• #48 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:54
• T+6 minutes.

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• #49 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:55
• Hotswap.
  
  T+7 minutes.

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• #50 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:56
• T+8 minutes.

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• #51 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:57
• T+9 minutes.

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• #52 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 03:58
• SECO.
  
  Second stage separation.
  
  T+10  minutes.

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• #53 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 04:00
• Animation of future separation events. Upcoming events.
  
  +00:31:00 Kick Stage Curie engine ignition
  +00:33:40 Curie engine Cut Off
  ~+00:33:45 Payload deployed

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• #54 by Steven Pietrobon on 26 May, 2023 04:08
• T+20 minutes.

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• #55 by FutureSpaceTourist on 26 May, 2023 04:08
• twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1661942347419070465
  
  

  Quote

  LAUNCH! Rocket Lab's Electron rocket launches with “Coming to a Storm Near You” - the final TROPICS launch for NASA from Launch Complex 1B (LC-1B) on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand.
  
  Overview:
  nasaspaceflight.com/2023/05/coming…
  
  Livestream:
  youtube.com/watch?v=hhuJsj…

  
  https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1661942911729106945
  
  

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  Staging 1-2.
• #56 by FutureSpaceTourist on 26 May, 2023 04:09
• twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1661944104782028801
  
  

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  Battery hot-swap.

  
  https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1661944743847239680
  
  

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  SECO.
  
  On to the kickstage.
• #57 by FutureSpaceTourist on 26 May, 2023 04:10
• https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1661942198408216576
  
  

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  Electron has launched from Launch Complex 1 for @NASA!

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• #58 by FutureSpaceTourist on 26 May, 2023 04:11
• https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1661945092310183936
  
  

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  And that's second stage engine cut-off confirmed! The Kick Stage is now beginning its plane change maneuver for @NASA TROPICS.
  
  We expect to receive confirmation of payload deployment at approx. T+47 mins, and we'll be back with updates then.
• #59 by Comga on 26 May, 2023 04:15
• In the YouTube version of the webcast I am watching there is a NASA ‘vector’ logo smack on top of the Rocketlab altitude data.
  One can see how Keith Cowing of NASAWatch has practically made a decades long career of yelling at the NASA PAO to no effect.
  Just an hour ago I accessed webpage on Capstone where “NASA” was displayed in bright blue letters on bright red backing.‍
  Don’t these people even look at their own output?
  
  But congrats on the launch, Rocketlab!