11.07.2024
Rocket Lab Sets Launch Window For Next Capella Space Mission From Launch Complex 1
The upcoming mission will deliver another Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite for Capella Space to low Earth orbit as part of a multi-launch agreement to deploy the Acadia constellation.
LONG BEACH, Calif, a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced it has set the launch window for its 51st Electron launch, a dedicated mission for American space tech company Capella Space (“Capella”).
The ‘A Sky Full Of SARs’ 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.
The mission will be Rocket Lab’s fifth launch for Capella to build out the company’s Earth-imaging constellation. In addition to the launch service, Rocket Lab is providing Capella Space with a custom extended fairing for the Acadia-3 satellite on Electron and a separation system produced by Rocket Lab. Providing a tailored launch option along with the component for the safe and reliable deployment of Capella’s satellites on orbit, Rocket Lab’s dedicated launch service helps to streamline operations for Capella Space and enable them to focus more closely on their satellite’s capabilities and building out their constellation.
“It’s great to be heading back to the pad for Capella once again,” says Rocket Lab Founder and CEO, Peter Beck. “The team is focused on and dedicated to delivering this latest SAR satellite to orbit to build out Capella’s constellation, and we’re honored by their continued trust in Rocket Lab and Electron to help support their overarching mission.”
“We’re looking forward to working with Rocket Lab again in order to continue expanding Capella’s constellation with our industry-leading, next-generation satellite technology,” says Capella Space CEO Frank Backes. “It’s with partners like Rocket Lab that we’re able to serve the mission requirements of our customers today with high-resolution, high-quality SAR imagery, building a fully-automated and reliable constellation to meet the needs of customers for tomorrow.”
Capella is an American space tech company with data and satellite solutions for government and commercial applications. Capella’s high-quality, high-resolution SAR imagery penetrates all weather conditions and captures clear imagery 24/7, day and night, anywhere on Earth, delivered through a fully-automated ordering and delivery platform. Capella’s existing SAR capabilities includes long-dwell imaging and extended duty-cycle – which results in more images collected per orbit than any other SAR systems. Acadia will augment Capella’s existing constellation with increased bandwidth and power, faster downlink speeds, and reduced latency.
This upcoming mission for Capella will be Rocket Lab’s ninth mission for 2024 and 51st Electron launch overall.
‘A Sky Full Of SARs’ mission details:
- Launch window: NET July 21, NZST / July 20, UTC.
- Launch location: Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia.
- Launch Vehicle: Electron.
- Satellite Operator: Capella Space.
- Payload: SAR Earth-imaging Acadia satellite.
- Orbital Destination: 615km circular Earth orbit.
Quelle: Rocket Lab
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Update: 3.08.2024
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Rocket Lab launches private Earth-observing radar satellite to orbit (video, photos)
Liftoff of the 'Owl For One, One For Owl' mission occurred at 12:39 p.m. EDT today (Aug. 2).
Rocket Lab launched a sharp-eyed Earth-observing radar satellite to orbit today (Aug. 2).
An Electron vehicle lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site today at 12:39 p.m. EDT (1639 GMT; 4:39 a.m. on Aug. 3 New Zealand time). The launch was originally targeted for Tuesday (July 30), but bad weather pushed it back a few days.
The Electron carried one of Japanese company Synspective's Strix synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites to low Earth orbit. Strix is a widespread genus of owls, which explains the name that Rocket Lab has given to the mission: "Owl for One, One for Owl."
Synspective's constellation is "designed to deliver imagery that can detect millimeter-level changes to the Earth's surface from space," Rocket Lab wrote in a mission description. This constellation is in progress; it will be built via 16 Electron launches, five of which have now taken place.
All went according to plan today: The Strix satellite was deployed into a circular orbit 337 miles (543 kilometers) above Earth about 57 minutes after liftoff. It was Rocket Lab's ninth launch of 2024 and the company's 51st mission overall.
Rocket Lab is working to make the first stage of the 59-foot-tall (18 meters) Electron reusable. The company has recovered boosters from the ocean on multiple previous missions, for example, and has even reflown an engine.
But no such activities were apparently planned for "Owl for One, One for Owl;" Rocket Lab's mission description doesn't mention anything about a booster recovery, and commentators didn't discuss the possibility during today's launch webcast.
Editor's note: This story was updated at noon ET on July 31 with news of the new target launch date of Aug. 2, then again at 1:40 p.m. ET on Aug. 2 with news of successful launch and satellite deployment.
Quelle: SN