Defense Speak Interpreted: Update on the Continuing Resolution and Budget Process for Defense
American Made Advocacy: Reshoring—About Trust, Not Just Geography
Beyond the Board: The Future of Innovation—Why the Electronics Industry Needs You
Rocket Lab Successfully Deploys Satellites
April 24, 2024 | BUSINESS WIREEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Rocket Lab USA, Inc., a global leader in launch services and space systems, today deployed two satellites to two different orbits approximately 500km apart on its 47th Electron mission.
The “Beginning Of The Swarm” (B.T.S.) mission lifted-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand at 10:32 NZST on April 24th, 2024 with payloads for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and NASA. The primary payload, NEONSAT-1 by KAIST, was first deployed by Electron to a 520km circular Earth orbit before Electron deployed NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System to a higher circular orbit at 1,000km.
NEONSAT-1 will perform Earth-observation of the Korean Peninsula for KAIST, which will then pair the satellite’s data with artificial intelligence to monitor for natural disasters in the region. NEONSAT-1 is the first of 11 satellites for KAIST’s planned constellation to image the Korean Peninsula several times daily.
The second mission deployed today was NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, which is a technology demonstration of new materials that use 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 to move around. 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.
The capability to deploy two satellites more than 500km apart on the same launch is enabled by Electron’s Kick Stage, a small stage with engine relight capability to enable last-mile delivery. After deploying NEONSAT-1, Electron’s Kick Stage completed multiple in-space burns of its Curie engine to raise its apogee and circularize its orbit before deploying the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System spacecraft. The Kick Stage then completed a fourth and final engine light to perform a deorbit maneuver that returned the stage closer to Earth to speed up its eventual deorbit, helping to reduce long term orbital debris.
Today’s successful mission was Rocket Lab’s fifth launch of 2024, continuing Electron’s streak as the United States’ second-most frequently launched rocket annually.
Details of Rocket Lab’s next Electron mission will be announced shortly.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Saildrone Announces European Entity Based in Denmark
04/11/2025 | BUSINESS WIRESaildrone, the global leader in maritime autonomy, today announced it is establishing a European subsidiary in Denmark, to address the urgent need for maritime domain awareness in European waters.
Thales & Saildrone Integrate Blue Sentry Array with Uncrewed Systems
04/07/2025 | ThalesThales Australia and Saildrone announce successful integration of the Thales Blue Sentry array and Saildrone’s uncrewed systems. A potent new national security capability, now proven at sea
BAE Systems to Upgrade Additional Mk 45 Naval Guns for U.S. Navy
01/28/2025 | BAE SystemsThe Mk 45 is the lightest, most compact 5-inch (127-mm) fully automatic naval gun in the world. It is built to integrate precision guided munitions with minimal gun modifications to ensure U.S. Navy ships have the firepower they need.
Nolan’s Notes: Set Your Sails Properly
12/05/2023 | Nolan Johnson -- Column: Nolan's NotesIn the world of sailing, we talk about headwinds—that strong wind that opposes forward motion—to gain momentum (mostly). But isn’t this counterintuitive? How can wind pushing into your sails help you move in the direction you actually want to go? Of course, it’s much more easily understood when we apply the principles of aerodynamics—which I think most of us understand—and some sailing techniques that take advantage of the headwinds. So, I wasn’t surprised when the term headwinds popped up frequently in our discussions for this issue about the current economic climate.
Inmarsat Government Selects SAILOR XTR Terminals for New $578M U.S. Navy Contract
02/10/2023 | InmarsatCobham Satcom, the leading provider of radio and satellite communication (satcom) solutions to the global maritime and land mobile sectors has been chosen by Inmarsat Government to supply new generation SAILOR XTR user terminals for the provision of fast, reliable and secure worldwide end-to-end commercial satcom for the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) Next Generation Wideband service.