Rocket Lab on path to moon
Nasa chooses Kiwi partner for satellite pathfinder mission as part of lunar return
Rocket Lab has been selected by Nasa as the provider for a small satellite launch in a bigger mission to the moon.
The satellite, called Capstone, is to be launched into the same lunar orbit targeted for Gateway, an orbiting outpost
It is the last day on the summer racing calendar, but don’t think that means Ellerslie Derby Day fashion judge Crystal Kimber will excuse any fashion faux pas — including a felt hat.
If you want to pocket the $20,000 Ned Prix de Fashion on February 29 for best dressed, such texture missteps will leave you back of the field.
“If someone was wearing felt that would be a bit of a no-no given we’re still in the summer season.
“In terms of millinery your felt and wools are your autumn/winter racewear whereas you’re looking at straws and sinamay that astronauts would visit before descending to the moon in a landing system as part of Nasa’s Artemis programme.
The firm-fixed-price launch contract was valued at $15.4 million, according to Nasa.
Capstone — Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment and those lighter weight millinery fabrications in your summer, spring season,” Kimber said.
You might want to stay away from anything bright too if you want to avoid looking like an uncultured buffoon.
“If you’re wearing colour on a Derby Day it’s a little bit of no in itself. In a Derby it’s black and white.”
On other points, Kimber is far more egalitarian — particularly the price of the outfit, which she almost prefers to be cheap and handmade.
“I do think having that DIY element is a big point of difference.”
The Aussie has been judged best dressed at 19 raceday fashion competitions — including the 2017 was expected to be the first spacecraft to operate in a near rectilinear halo orbit around the moon.
In other words, it would rotate with the moon as it orbited Earth and pass as close as 1600km or as far as 70,000km from the lunar surface.
It was hoped Capstone would demonstrate how to enter into and operate in the orbit, as well as test
Myer Fashions on the Field, the biggest raceday fashion prize in Australia. Living by her own advice, Kimber altered her winning outfit from a $30 dress her grandmother bought 30 years ago.
“My mum and I tailored it to fit me. I had a friend do some of my millinery, but head-to-toe it was about $250.”
This pales in comparison to the thousands some women spend.
“In recent years, the fashion competitions in New Zealand have become fiercely competitive,” said Kimber, who was last at Ellerslie in 2017.
“If anything, I think the New Zealand racing fashion is more fashion-forward than Australia.” new navigation capacity.
Founder and chief executive Peter Beck said Rocket Lab was proud to bring the moon within reach to enable further research and exploration.
“Small satellites like Capstone will play a crucial role in supporting the return of human missions to the moon and we’re proud to be supporting Nasa in this unique and pivotal mission,” he said.
“As a dedicated mission on Electron, we’re able to provide Nasa with complete control over every aspect of launch and mission design for Capstone, something typically only
The Herald on Sunday and Ellerslie Race Course have teamed up to celebrate Vodafone Derby Day.
We have four Garden Party tickets to giveaway for the February 29 event – giving fans a great chance to soak up all the sights and sounds on and off track.
To be into win, email your name, address and phone number to weekendeditor@nzherald.co.nz All entries are to have Derby Day in the subject field, and must arrive by 5pm, Tuesday, February 18 available to much larger spacecraft on larger launch vehicles.”
The satellite will be launched from Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle from Launch Complex 2, at the Nasa Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, United States early in 2021.
Capstone will be delivered on a ballistic lunar transfer by Rocket Lab’s high-performance satellite bus platform Photon after launch.
It would take Capstone about three months to enter its target orbit before starting a six-month primary demonstration phase to understand operations in its orbit.