Rocketlab Launch Upcoming

[Yazata]

Rocketlab says that they are powering towards an attempt to recover an Electron booster soon. They say flight 17. The last launch, the early July one that failed, was fittingly flight 13. So the fourth one yet to come. Rocketlab still has nine launches on its 2020 manifest, though some of the last ones may slip to early 2021. Which suggests to me a recovery attempt around October perhaps.

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/129...5437616128

Peter Beck (Rocketlab boss) says 'Spot the odd one out, S1 recovery booster'. (Photo by Peter Beck, apparently taken in Rocketlab's rocket factory in Huntington Beach CA.)

[Image: EeszTyJUYAAZ85b?format=jpg&name=large]

The little card on the odd-one-out booster reads "Warning - Do not rotate tank - Person working inside"

[Yazata]

If watching giant cranes in Boca just isn't enough, Rocketlab is going to have a go this afternoon. 21:14 UTC, 5:14 PM EDT, 2:14 PM PDT Launching from Mahia.

Edit: Seems to have be pushed back to 22:02 UTC 6:02 PM EDT, 3:02 PM PDT.

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/131...2125298688

This will be their 15th Electron launch. (Flight 17 is the one they say they will try to recover.) Payload is one small earth observation satellite by Canon, a twin to one that failed to reach orbit on an earlier launch, plus nine little 3-u cubesats for Planet Labs. These are also earth observation satellites. All the details on Michael Baylor's website here.

https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/5060

Rocketlab photo of Electron on the pad a few minutes ago

[Image: Ek4QlSkVcAApZfF?format=jpg&name=large]

[Yazata]

Rocketlab are standing down from today's launch attempt. Some readings weren't in spec.

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/131...3741049856

[Yazata]

Rocketlab is having another go.

Today Oct 28.

5:14 PM EDT, 2:14 PM PDT, 21:14 UTC

Rocketlab livestream here

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/axXm-z2NzW8

Tim Dodd livestream here

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/_6SxcO-fHEU

Rocketlab photo from 2 hrs ago

[Image: Elb8iVQU0AA5UaF?format=png&name=900x900]

[Yazata]

The rocket launched beautifully, the customer satellites (Planet Labs and Canon) are in orbit, and they are communicating with their owners.

https://twitter.com/rocketlab

This was their 15th launch and they say that they are going to try to recover the booster on their 17th.

Rocket Lab photo. The entire Electron rocket is black and the white areas are frost on the LOX tanks. The black parts are kerosine rocket fuel tanks or engine bay skirts.

[Image: ElcioI9VgAE8Fz5?format=jpg&name=medium]

[Yazata]

I like Rocketlab! They are like a mini-SpaceX.

Looks like Rocketlab has moved up their first booster recovery attempt to a window opening the 16th of this month. They give all their launches names and this one is "Return to Sender".

The announcement

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/132...8584324096

A little video

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/7xGktkbXBpw

[Yazata]

Rocketlab's Return to Sender mission is scheduled to go Thursday US time.

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/132...5498560513

2:44 PM 11- 20 new zealand time
01:44 UTC 11- 20
8:44 PM EST 11-19
5:44 PM PST 11-19

Rocketlab photo

[Image: EmznfEAVEAAJvGf?format=jpg&name=large]

[C C]

Rocketlab's Return to Sender mission is scheduled to go Thursday US time.

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/132...5498560513

2:44 PM 11- 20 new zealand time
01:44 UTC 11- 20
8:44 PM EST 11-19
5:44 PM PST 11-19

Rocketlab photo

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EmznfEAVEAAJ...name=large

These small rocket launches and their bare-bone sites/pads (including Astra and the Copenhagen outfit) remind me of the days of the V-2 tests in White Sands or earlier in Germany. Only they're space-project functional rather than tests or military usage.

List of V-2 test launches
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_V-...after_1945

Aggregat (rocket family)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregat_(rocket_family)

V-2 rocket
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-2

[Yazata]

The rocketlab livestream of their launch and recovery attempt will be here. Watch it on their stream because for every viewer they attract, $1 will be donated by the owner of Valve Software (a videogame company) to Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital's pediatric intensive care unit. (That's why nsf won't be doing a stream and encourage everyone to watch Rocketlab's stream instead.) Besides, this way you get to hear those weird accents.

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/132...0240361476

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Hospital

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/eZGI_lHGltA

[Yazata]

Rocketlab launch has been pushed back a few minutes due to an airplane over the launch area. They appear to have recycled the start-time for their stream about 20 minutes.