Next rocket on site for launch No 2
Rocket Lab has moved its second Electron launch vehicle to Mahia as it prepares for a second flight.
The rocket has been moved from Auckland to Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula, where pre-flight checks will take place.
The company expects test window dates to be announced in “coming weeks”.
Rocket Lab’s first launch in May was successful and the Electron got to space but did not make it to orbit after range safety officials had to kill the flight.
The rocket, named “It’s a Test”, was terminated after a “data loss time out” that was caused by misconfiguration of telemetry equipment owned and operated by a third-party contractor.
Four minutes into the flight, at an altitude of 224km, the equipment lost contact with the rocket temporarily and, according to standard operating procedures, range safety officials ended the flight by cutting power to the engines. The rocket disintegrated as it fell back into the Earth’s atmosphere in the Southern Ocean.
Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck yesterday said the second rocket “Still Testing” was performing well through rigorous acceptance tests and the team was focused on final flight preparations.
“It’s a great feeling to have another rocket on the pad. To be preparing for a second flight just months after an inaugural test is unprecedented for a new launch vehicle. It’s a testament to Electron’s robust design and the hardworking team behind it,” Beck said.
Improved weather and natural disaster prediction, internet from space and real-time crop monitoring are just a fraction of the benefits of more frequent and cost-effective access to low Earth orbit.
“Still Testing” will carry an Earthimaging Dove satellite for Planet, and Lemur-2 satellites for Spire for weather mapping and tracking ship traffic.
Electron will go through a series of final checks and tests in the coming weeks before a yet-to-beannounced launch window opens.
As the flight is still a test, Rocket Lab expects several scrubs, or “postponements”.
The New Zealand-founded company aims to put small satellites into space at a fraction of the cost of established rivals. The uncrowded skies above Mahia make rapid repeat launches more viable than in other parts of the world. The company has its HQ in Los Angeles. It is mainly funded by investors including Khosla Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, DCVC (Data Collective), Lockheed Martin and Promus Ventures.