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SCRUBBED | Rocket Lab 'We Love The Nightlife' Launch


We Love the Nightlife (Capella Acadia 1)

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Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Earth Science

Low Earth Orbit Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
40 - Pacific Ocean

Payload consists of a single SAR Earth-imaging Acadia satellite, a new generation satellite designed, manufactured, and operated by Capella Space. First mission to fly with a reused engine.

Updates

SwGustav • Aug. 24, 2023, 1:03 a.m.

Launch success


SwGustav • Aug. 23, 2023, 11:45 p.m.

Liftoff


LL2 • Aug. 23, 2023, 11:27 p.m.

Livestream has started


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

Booster Info


40

Status: Active


Type: Core
Flight Proven: No
First Flight: August 23, 2023
Last Flight: August 23, 2023
Flights: 1
Landings Attempted: 1
Landings Successful: 1

Landing Information

The Electron booster was successfully recovered after a soft parachute splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Result: Successful Parachute Landing landing at Pacific Ocean.

Rocket Lab

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CEO: Peter Beck Founded: 2006 Successes: 37 Failures: 4 Pending: 29

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

The Launch Pad

RocketLab Flys Recovered Electron Engine For First Time

Rocket Lab has achieved a significant milestone in the effort to make Electron reusable, for the first time the company has flown an engine that had previously flown before and was recovered from the ocean.

Arstechnica

The re-flight of a Rutherford engine demonstrates rocket reuse is here to stay

"The data is in, perfect performance from the reused engine."

Teslarati

Rocket Lab launches 40th mission, first re-flown Rutherford engine

Rocket Lab’s ‘We Love the Nightlife’ mission lifted off at 11:45 a.m. NZST (23:45 UTC), bringing the Acadia satellite to orbit and...

SpaceNews

Rocket Lab reuses engine on Electron launch

Rocket Lab successfully reflew an engine on an Electron launch Aug. 23 as the company moves a step closer to reusing the entire rocket booster.

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Rocket Lab’s Electron faces rare last second abort

Rocket Lab’s 40th mission will have to wait a bit longer, as the Electron rocket ignited its 9 Rutherford engines and immediately...

Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

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