On Sunday, January 21, 2018, California-based startup Rocket Lab made history, launching its Electron Rocket from its launch facility on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand, carrying a payload of commercial satellites that were successfully put into Earth orbit.
The “Still Testing,” as the electron rocket was named, deployed a payload of three small commercial satellites, weighing about 150 kilograms (331 pounds) total. The payload included a Dove Earth-imaging and two Spire weather satellites.
The company’s latest attempt to launch a satellite payload was initially set for June 21, however, due to an issue with a tracking dish on the Chatham Islands, the mission was scrubbed just before 16:00 New Zealand Standard Time (NZST). Spare parts were sent to the Islands to rectify the fault.
The new launch window goes through July 6, so it’s looking good for a successful launch on Wednesday – no earlier than 12:30 pm (00:30 UTC). “It’s Business Time”, will be the company’s second orbital mission.
Small satellite on board
The mission will launch two satellites for Spire Global, the GeoOptics nanosatellite for Tvak Nanosatellite Systems and NABEO, a drag-sail technology demonstration satellite.
Spire Global, with headquarters in San Francisco, California, is a private satellite company with locations around the world. The company specializes in data gathered from a network of small satellites. They have already deployed more than fifty Earth observation CubeSats into low Earth orbit.
Spire’s Lemur-2-Zupanski and Lemur-2 Chanusiak satellites are multi-sensor. Data types such as Automatic Identification System (AIS) service are used for tracking ships, and weather payloads measure temperature, pressure, and precipitation.
Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc. designs, builds and provides Nano-Satellite and CubeSat space vehicle products and services for government and commercial customers. Established in 2011, Tyvak is based in Irvine, California.
Tyvak built the GeoOptics nanosatellite that will be launched tomorrow. The small satellite will be used for weather monitoring by GeoOptics Inc.
NABEO “Pride of Bavaria” demonstration
NABEO, also known as Pride of Bavaria, is a drag sail technology demonstrator built by HPS GmbH (High-Performance Space Structure Systems GmBH) with the support of the state of Bavaria.
NABEO is a demonstration satellite. The experiment will test the ability to passively deorbit inactive, small satellites using atmospheric drag.
The deployable drag sail is made of an ultra-thin membrane, that will be tightly coiled within the spacecraft for launch and deployed once the satellite reaches the end of its operational lifespan.
