Rocket Lab of Huntington Beach, CA announced on May 10 that its next flight will launch multiple spacecraft on a mission procured by satellite rideshare and mission management provider, Spaceflight. The launch window will open in June, with launch taking place from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula.
The mission
is Rocket Lab’s seventh Electron launch overall and the company’s third for
2019, continuing Rocket Lab’s average monthly launch cadence. The flight
follows dedicated missions launched for DARPA and the U.S. Air Force’s Space
Test Program in the first months of 2019.
The mission
is named ‘Make it Rain’ in a nod to the high volume of rainfall in Seattle,
where Spaceflight is headquartered, as well in New Zealand where Launch Complex
1 is located. Among the satellites on the mission for Spaceflight
are BlackSky’s Global-4, two U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
Prometheus and Melbourne Space Program’s ACRUX-1.
Rocket Lab
Founder and CEO Peter Beck says rideshares have historically presented a challenge
for small satellite operators, as they’re often at the mercy of the primary
payload’s schedule and orbit.
“This
exciting mission with Spaceflight demonstrates the new level of freedom now
offered to small satellite operators thanks to Electron,” he says. “Rocket Lab
puts small satellite operators in charge, offering an unmatched level of
control over launch schedule. Thanks to Electron’s Kick Stage, we also deliver
the kind of precision orbital deployment normally reserved for a prime.”
The spacecraft manifested on the mission will be delivered to precise, individual orbits by Electron’s Kick Stage. Powered by the 3D printed Curie engine, the Kick Stage carries the payloads to a circular orbit before employing a cold gas reaction control system to orient itself for precise deployment of each satellite at pre-defined intervals. This removes the risk of spacecraft recontact during deployment and ensures each spacecraft is deployed to the ideal orbit.
Source: Rocket Lab
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