SpaceX Rival Rocket Lab Launches NASA's First Satellite Swarm
- by Gizmodo
- Jun 18, 2024
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Electron lifted off
at 9:27 p.m. ET on Monday from the company’s Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. The launch had been delayed by a few days due to unfavorable weather but when it did finally take off, it all went swimmingly.
The rideshare mission carried seven satellites for three different customers: NASA, Space Flight Laboratory, and Spire Global. NASA’s Starling mission includes four cubesats that are designed to work together as a swarm, testing satellite technologies for autonomous positioning, networking, maneuvering, and decision-making, according to NASA
. Starling will test the ability of the satellites to function together as an autonomous community, carrying out tasks as a team and being able to respond to their environment.
Electron was also carrying Space Flight Laboratory’s Telesat’s LEO 3 demonstration satellite to continue tests for its constellation, as well as two Earth-observing weather satellites from Spire Global.
Rocket Lab’s latest mission was called “Baby Come Back,” as the company awaited the return of Electron’s booster in order to make it a reusable rocket.
The rocket’s second stage deployed the satellites to a sun-synchronous orbit, while Electron’s first stage began making its way back to Earth about 17 minutes after liftoff. A parachute guided the first stage back down for an ocean splashdown, and a recovery team fished out the rocket for a successful retrieval. Rocket Lab celebrated the safe return of its rocket booster by writing
, “Baby Came Back,” on the company’s Twitter account.
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