Watch the Launch

Additional Media

As The Crow Flies

This mission is scheduled to take place during a 14-day launch window opening on October 15 NZDT. The mission will lift-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula. Encapsulated in Electron’s fairing will be a single spacecraft for Astro Digital, a California-based satellit...

As The Crow Flies

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Earth Science

Low Earth Orbit Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Encapsulated in Electron's fairing will be a single spacecraft for Astro Digital, a California-based satellite manufacturer and operator. The Landmapper-BC remote sensing satellite features a broad coverage multispectral imaging system with a resolution of 22 meters per pixel. Eventually, Astro Digital plans to extend the Landmapper-BC constellation to capture daily, multispectral imagery of the world’s arable land. The mission is named 'As The Crow Flies' in a nod to Astro Digital's Corvus Platform, which provides flexible and cost-effective solutions across a wide range of applications and mission profiles on bus variants ranging from 6U and 16U CubeSats to ESPA Class. Corvus is also a widely-distributed genus of birds which includes crows.

Electron

Family: Electron
Configuration:

Electron is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle (with an optional third stage) developed by the American aerospace company Rocket Lab. Electron is a small-lift launch vehicle designed to launch small satellites and cubesats to sun-synchronous orbit and low earth orbit. The Electron is the first orbital class rocket to use electric-pump-fed engines, powered by the 9 Rutherford engines on the first stage. It is also used as a suborbital testbed (called HASTE) for hypersonics research.

See Electron Details
Specifications
  • Minimum Stage
    2
  • Max Stage
    3
  • Length
    18.0 m
  • Diameter
    1.2 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    1.2 m
  • Launch Mass
    13 T
  • Thrust
    162 kN
Family
  • Name
    Electron
  • Family
    Electron
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Electron
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $6000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    300 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    225 kg

Rocket Lab

Circle Image
CEO: Peter Beck Founded: 2006 Successes: 42 Failures: 4 Pending: 27

Agency Type: Commercial

Rocket Lab is an American aerospace manufacturer with a wholly owned New Zealand subsidiary. The company develops lightweight, cost-effective commercial rocket launch services. The Electron Program was founded on the premise that small payloads such as CubeSats require dedicated small launch vehicles and flexibility not currently offered by traditional rocket systems. Its rocket, the Electron, is a light-weight rocket and is now operating commercially. The company is also producing a variety of spacecrafts and spacecrafts components.

INFO WIKI

Related News

Spaceflight Now

Rocket Lab delivers on dedicated launch for Astro Digital

NASA Spaceflight

Rocket Lab launches Electron Flight 9 as work on new U.S. pad continues

Spaceflight Now

Rocket Lab preps for commercial satellite launch this week

Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A


Long March 6A
Success
1 day, 22 hours ago
Yunhai 3-02
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chinese satellite reported for atmospheric/ocean/environmental/spatial parameter research purposes, details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 21 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-46
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 17 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-42
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
5 days, 8 hours ago
Soyuz MS-25
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Soyuz MS-25 will carry two cosmonauts and one astronaut to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome i…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Dragon CRS-2 SpX-30
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

30th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station operated by SpaceX. The flight will be conducted under the second Commer…


Electron
Success
1 week ago
Live and Let Fly (NROL-123)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (Launch Area 0 C) - Wallops Island, Virginia, USA

Mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.


Long March 2D/YZ-3
Success
1 week ago
Yunhai-2 Group 02
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Yunhai-2 is a constellation of Chinese military meteorological satellites. Reportedly the satellites use Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)…


Long March 8
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Queqiao-2
201 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Queqiao-2 is a Chinese artificial satellite to serve as a communications relay for future Chinese lunar far side missions that cannot communicate dir…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Starlink Group 7-16
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 22 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
Starlink Group 6-44
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.