Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket successfully deploys Tsukuyomi-1 satellite
Rocket Lab has successfully launched its first flight of the Electron rocket since a failure on Sept. 19. The small-satellite launcher’s 42nd mission lifted off on Dec. 15 from New Zealand at about 1705 NZDT (0405 UTC or 11:05 p.m. EST).
The Electron rocket launched the “The Moon God Awakens” mission from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Pad B, on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. This was a dedicated mission for Japan-based Earth imaging company iQPS (Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc.). The Tsukuyomi-1 synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite joins another iQPS satellite on orbit to capture high-resolution views of Earth as closely as a 1 meter-square view.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck expressed confidence in the market demand for Electron rockets, stating, “Frequent launch opportunities, flexibility over schedule and control over orbital deployment are what our customers are looking for and that’s what Electron has been providing and will continue to provide in the new year.”
This mission marks the tenth flight of an Electron rocket in 2023, which puts it one mission ahead of the prior Rocket Lab record of nine launches set in 2022. Among the 22 launches Rocket Lab has booked for 2024, nine of them will be recovery missions.
The return to flight mission is a pivotal moment for Rocket Lab after a launch failure in September, which the company attributed to an electrical arc inside the power supply system. After a seven-week investigation conducted in coordination with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the company determined the root cause and implemented corrective actions to ensure such a failure does not occur again in future missions.
Rocket Lab’s successful return to flight is a significant milestone for the company and the small satellite launch industry.