A Rocket Lab Electron booster was unable to reach orbit while attempting to launch seven small satellites for three different clients on Saturday (July 4).
The two stages Electron amplifier rose from the platform at the Rocket Lab launch site in New Zealand at 5:19 pm EST (0919 GMT; 9:19 pm New Zealand local time), carrying seven Earth imaging satellites up high, including Five payloads for the planet satellite imagery company, as well as one satellite for Canon Electronics and one for space missions in the UK. But a problem during the second stage of the rocket engine caused the loss of all seven payloads.
Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck apologized for the failure on Twitter. “I am very sorry that today we were unable to deliver satellites to our customers” He wrote on Twitter. “Rest assured, we’ll find the problem, fix it, and be back on the platform soon.”
Video: Watch the Rocket Lab launch just before it can’t reach orbit
The launch seemed to proceed as planned for the crucial first few minutes of flight. Then, approximately six minutes after launch, the live video feed from the rocket froze. At that point, company live stream showed that the rocket began to lose speed and altitude. It was then that Rocket Lab cut the live video stream.
The company announced shortly after on Twitter that there was a problem with the rocket and the charges were lost.
Today, a problem was experienced during the launch of Rocket Lab that caused the loss of the vehicle. We deeply feel for the customers on board Electron. The problem occurred late in the flight during the second stage of burning. More information will be provided as it becomes available. July 4, 2020
Rocket Lab was originally scheduled to launch this Electron on Friday (July 3), but delayed the flight until Sunday (July 5) due to bad weather. But a new perspective on the weather prompted Rocket Lab to move the launch a day earlier, a rarity in the space flight industry. (Usually release dates move further, rather than forward.)
The mission, the 13th Rocket Lab flight, was called “Photos or did not happen“like a hat for all seven Earth imaging satellites aboard the rocket. Today’s flight marked the second launch for the California-based rocket builder in just three weeks. It was the company’s fastest response time between missions to date. ”
The primary payload on board was the CE-SAT-IB from Canon Electronics, a small satellite loaded with high-resolution, wide-angle cameras for taking photos of Earth. Also within the nose cone of the Electron were five Planet company Earth imaging SuperDove satellites. The last payload was a small satellite called Faraday-1, from Missions in Space, containing a set of instruments from a group of organizations that needed a trip to space.
“The team in space is absolutely gutted by this news” In space he tweeted shortly after the incident was announced. “Two years of hard work by an incredibly committed group of brilliant engineers in smoke. It really was a great little spacecraft.”
Planet CEO Will Marshall also announced the loss of its satellites on Twitter, noting that the company has existing plans to launch more of its satellites this summer in two separate launches. “Although it is never the result we expect, the risk of launch failure is one that Planet is always prepared for.” the company said in a statement. Those launches are scheduled to orbit a European Vega rocket and a Falcon 9.
Since its formation, Rocket Lab has launched a total of 53 spacecraft on 12 separate missions, and most of those flights have been successful. Only the company’s first flight, launched in 2017, was unable to reach orbit due to a telemetry problem, not a problem with the rocket. All other flights have been successful.
The company will need to determine what caused the anomaly, as it has big plans for the future, including an upcoming mission to the moon. The company is slated to throw a cube to the moon in 2021 as part of a $ 9.95 million NASA contract. That flight is slated to launch from the company’s launch site in the US at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
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