Normally, once the kick stage does its job, the rocket orbits it to burn in the lab atmosphere. This time, however, he sent a command that turned it into photon satellite mode to continue on a single mission called “First Light”. Designed as an exhibition, it is equipped with solar panels and cameras that can take pictures of themselves and the earth.
Eventually, customers will be able to choose a “launch-plus-spacecraft” mission with an electron rocket and a photon satellite, which “removes”[s] Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab, said in a statement that the complexity, risk and delay in creating their own satellite hardware and purchasing a separate launcher.
During a press conference, Beck said the company secretly launched the photon to “make sure it’s all right and it works before it’s announced.” The rocket lab said the high-energy version of the photon would eventually fly to “lunar and interplanetary missions”, including NASA’s Capstone mission, in early 2021. Near the moon.
