EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated for new launch attempt Jan. 20.
Rocket Lab’s light-class Electron launcher is set to take off on its second orbital test flight from New Zealand, aiming to deliver three small shoebox-sized CubeSats into low Earth orbit for Planet and Spire.
The two-stage, 55-foot-tall (17-meter) rocket could take off as soon as 8:30 p.m. EST on Jan. 20 (0130 GMT on Jan. 21) from Rocket Lab’s commercial launch complex on Mahia Peninsula on New Zealand’s North Island.
The privately-developed Electron launcher is making its second flight after its maiden flight in May reached space, but faltered before reaching orbit. While the second flight is still considered a test — Rocket Lab has christened the mission “Still Testing” — three CubeSats are on-board from California-based companies Planet and Spire.
The timeline posted below is accompanied by animation provided by Rocket Lab that illustrates the approximate appearance of the major flight events.
Data source: Rocket Lab
T-0:00:00: Liftoff
The Electron rocket lifts off on the power of nine kerosene-fueled Rutherford main engines, generating 34,500 pounds of thrust at liftoff and powering up to 41,500 pounds of thrust as the rocket climbs into the upper atmosphere.
T+0:01:20: Max-Q
The Electron rocket experiences the most intense aerodynamic pressures at this phase of flight.
T+0:02:30: MECO
The nine first stage Rutherford main engines shut down after a two-and-a-half minute burn.
T+0:02:34: First Stage Separation
The Electron’s first stage separates from its second stage.
T+0:02:36: Second Stage Ignition
The Electron’s second stage Rutherford engine ignites to continue the trip into orbit, producing approximately 5,000 pounds of thrust in vacuum.
T+0:03:04: Fairing Jettison
The Electron rocket’s payload fairing, which protected the satellites during the initial phase of ascent, jettisons once the rocket is above the dense, lower layers of the atmosphere. The composite 3.9-foot-diameter (1.2-meter) shroud will fall into the Pacific Ocean.
T+0:08:14: SECO
The second stage’s Rutherford vacuum engine shuts down after reaching a targeted elliptical orbit with an apogee, or high point, of 310 miles (500 kilometers), a perigee, or low point, of 186 miles (300 kilometers), and an inclination of 83 degrees.
T+0:08:31: Payload Separation
Two CubeSats from Spire and one CubeSat from Planet will begin their separation sequence once the second stage achieves orbit and shuts down.
China led the world with 34 orbital launch attempts in 2019 — including two failures — followed by 22 flights from Russian-operated launch pads and 21 satellite delivery missions originating from U.S. spaceports, all of which were successful.
SpaceX launched the first of the company’s upgraded generation of Falcon 9 launchers, known as Block 5, from the Kennedy Space Center on Friday at 4:14 p.m. EDT (2014 GMT). The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off with Bangladesh’s first communications satellite, and SpaceX recovered the rocket’s first stage on a vessel in the Atlantic Ocean.
A year after a launch mishap left Orbital ATK’s Cygnus supply ship without a ride to the International Space Station, company officials say the cargo delivery system is on the verge of a comeback, thanks to deals with United Launch Alliance and a decision to redesign its Antares booster with new rocket engines.
