Science
The 13th launch of Rocket Lab ends up in failure, following a mid-flight problem
Saturday, after rocket launching in space, Rocket Lab's 13th mission ended in failure after the rocket faced some sort of problem. In consequence, Rocket Lab lost its rocket and all the satellites on it.
The Electron rocket of the company was successful in its initial rocket operation on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand, at 5:19pm ET from Rocket Lab. The launch seemed to go very well during the first decisive minutes, but live video from the rocket stopped approximately six minutes before the launch. At this point, the livestreams of Rocket Lab showed that the rocket was losing its speed and the vehicle was falling at altitude.
An issue was experienced today during Rocket Lab's launch that caused the loss of the vehicle. We are deeply sorry to the customers on board Electron. The issue occurred late in the flight during the 2nd stage burn. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) July 4, 2020
Eventually, Rocket Lab cut the live. The company subsequently found that during the flight the electron rocket was lost.
Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab, excused the Twitter failure. "I'm so sorry we haven't delivered our satellites to our customers today," he tweeted. "Stay sure that we'll find the problem, fix it and soon be back on the pad."
Mainly Earth-imaging satellites were on the mission, named the "Pics Or It Didn't Happen." The main payload was the CE-SAT-IB of Canon Electronics, designed to demonstrate the technology for earth imaging using high-resolution and wide-angle camera systems.
Five SuperDove satellites, designed to represent Earth from above, were also supported by the rocket. In-Space missions, which had several instruments from the launch companies and other organizations that needed space rides, had the last payload, a small satellite known as Faraday 1.
Planet's President and CEO, Will Marshall, announced the loss of Twitter's satellites, noting the company plans to launch two separate launches this summer. "Although we never want the result, a planet is always ready for the risk of a launch failure," the company said in a statement.
Fairing separation confirmed as Electron continues to orbit.
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) July 4, 2020
In August Planet will be launching up to 26 of its SuperDove satellites from South America on a European Vega rocket.
Since it began, Rocket Lab has placed 53 spacecraft on 12 separate missions, with Rocket Lab 's third launch this weekend. The company has succeeded most of its flight. The only flights not operating in accordance to the plan, the rocket successfully launched and made it space-only in 2017, but did not reach the orbit, were Rocket Lab's very first flight called "It's a Test." Since then, all other Rocket Lab missions have been perfectly visible, making today 's flight the company's first major failure.
