Rocket Lab successfully launched two satellites at its launch complex in Māhia, Hawke’s Bay, this morning.
Today was the 47th successful launch of the Kiwi space company’s Electron rocket, which sent two satellites into orbit for NASA and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
It was the company’s fifth launch of the year, and blasted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Māhia at 10.32am.
A company spokesperson said today’s achievement was “unique” because the rocket delivered payloads for two separate missions aboard the same rocket.
The NEONSAT-1, launched for KAIST, will perform Earth observation — working with AI to monitor natural disasters on the Korean peninsula. It was the first of 11 satellites launched for this purpose.
NASA’s payload was its “Advanced Composite Solar Sail System”, which uses sunlight to propel a spacecraft.
“Much like a sailboat is powered by wind pushing against a sail, solar sails employ the pressure of sunlight for propulsion,” Rocket Lab said.
“This mission plans to test how well new composite booms unfurl the sail from the spacecraft — which is about the size of a toaster — to an area about the size of a small apartment.
“Data from this mission will be used for designing future larger-scale composite solar sail systems for space weather early warning satellites, asteroid and other small body reconnaissance missions, and missions to observe the polar regions of the sun.”
Both satellites were launched into separate orbits, more than 500km apart from each other.