Last weekend, Canon was planning to launch its 5D Mark III-based CE-SAT 1B Mark 5B satellite camera in orbit, but it was not intended to be. The satellite was supposed to go as part of Rocket Lab’s aptly named mission “Photos or Didn’t Happen,” but the Electron vehicle experienced “an anomaly” and all 7 on-board microsatellites, including Canon’s, were destroyed.
The CE-SAT 1B is a high-resolution microsatellite based on the image sensor of a Canon 5D Mark III. Canon Electronics released an experimental version of the satellite in 2017, and the Mark II (1B) was the mass-produced version of this concept. For now, it was supposed to be in orbit; however, due to an “anomaly” within 4 minutes of the launch of Rocket Lab’s Electron vehicle on July 4, the satellite was lost.
Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck apologized for the failure on Twitter shortly after it happened:
We missed the flight late in the mission. I am very sorry that today we were unable to deliver satellites to our customers. Rest assured that we will find the problem, fix it and return to the platform soon.
– Peter Beck (@Peter_J_Beck) July 4, 2020
Later in the day, the company released a press release in which it apologized once again and promised to uncover the anomaly and correct it for future releases.
“Today’s anomaly occurred after 11 consecutive successful orbital launches of the Electron launch vehicle,” the statement read. “Rocket Lab currently has more than eight Electron vehicles in production, ready for a quick return to flight as soon as investigations are completed and necessary corrective measures are implemented.”
You can watch a live stream of the launch below. Video streaming from the rocket abruptly freezes around the 22:12 mark and never starts again; around 22:45, the rocket begins to lose altitude; at 23 minutes, an engineer is heard saying “all stations […] starting the mishap response plan ”:
If you were excited to read some Canon satellite images, don’t be afraid. According to a press release about SpaceFlight.comCanon already has a 2B version of the CE-SAT prepared and ready to go on another Rocket Lab mission later this year.
(via BBC via DPReview)
Image credits: Header photo of the unfortunate Electron vehicle, courtesy of Rocket Labs
