Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Pics Or It Didn't Happen

‘Pics Or It Didn’t Happen’ will deploy seven small satellites to a 500km circular low Earth orbit for a range of smallsat including Spaceflight Inc.’s customer Canon Electronics[https://en.canon-elec.co.jp/], as well as Planet and In-Space Missions[https://in-space.co.uk/].

Pics Or It Didn’t Happen

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Mission: Dedicated Rideshare

Sun-Synchronous Orbit Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

‘Pics Or It Didn’t Happen’ is the 13th mission for Rocket Lab. It was planned to deploy seven imaging small satellites to a 500km circular low Earth orbit for a range of customers including Spaceflight Inc.’s customer Canon Electronics, as well as Planet and In-Space Missions.

Infographic

Geoff Barrett is an independent graphic artist that creates launch infographics for space flight events.

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: 37 Failures: 4 Pending: 32

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. Electron currently launches from only Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand however a second launch complex in the US is under development.

INFO WIKI

Related News

Arstechnica

Rocket Report: South Korea’s SpaceX dilemma, Rocket Lab finds a quick fix

SpaceNews

Rocket Lab blames Electron launch failure on electrical problem

Spaceflight Now

Rocket Lab identifies faulty electrical connector as cause of launch failure

NASA Spaceflight

Electron fails during 13th launch

Spaceflight Now

Rocket Lab plans next launch Saturday, closes in on first mission from Virginia

Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 5 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-30
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.


Soyuz 2.1b
Success
5 days, 12 hours ago
Razdan No. 1?
43/4 (43R) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identity and Cosmos series number uncertain. The Razdan satellite is reportedly a new electro-optical reconnaissance satellite desi…


Long March 2D/YZ-3
Success
1 week ago
3 x SatNet test satellites
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellite(s)" built by Chinese Academy of Sciences. Probable 3 (?) test satellit…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Starlink Group 6-29
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.


Chollima-1
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Malligyong-1c
Malligyong-1 Pad - Sohae Satellite Launching Station, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Malligyong-1c (meaning "Telescope-1") is the third attempt by North Korea to launch a satellite officially declared to be for military reconnaissance…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Starlink Group 7-7
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.


Starship
Partial Failure
1 week, 5 days ago
Integrated Flight Test 2
Orbital Launch Mount A - SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

Second test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. The booster is expected to separate 170 seconds into flight and return to land approxima…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 6 days ago
Starlink Group 6-28
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.


Long March 2C/YZ-1S
Success
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Haiyang 3-01
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Next generation Chinese ocean color measurements satellite to study ocean ecology and effects on biological cycles and the climate.


Falcon 9
Success
2 weeks, 4 days ago
O3b mPower 5 & 6
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Fifth and sixth of a constellation of eleven high-throughput communications satellites in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) built by Boeing and operated by SE…