Rocket Lab achieved a significant milestone on August 23 by successfully relaunching an engine on an Electron launch, moving closer to their goal of reusing the entire rocket booster.
The Electron rocket took off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time. The mission, named “We Love the Nightlife,” deployed a Capella Space radar imaging satellite into a 640-kilometer mid-inclination orbit 58 minutes after liftoff.
Originally planned for July 30, the launch was postponed due to data from a sensor indicating low igniter pressure in one of the engines. An attempt on August 6 was also scrubbed.
Rocket Lab decided to replace the entire booster with a newly completed one that had been designed for recovery. The decision was made to accelerate their efforts to make the Electron rocket fully reusable.
The new booster was not only designed for reuse but also featured a Rutherford engine that had previously flown on an Electron launch in May 2022. The engine had undergone multiple full-duration hotfire tests to validate its suitability for reuse.
Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck confirmed the engine’s success, tweeting, “The data is in, perfect performance from the reused engine and the stage.”
During an earnings call on August 8, Beck indicated that reflying a Rutherford engine was a crucial step toward reusing an entire booster. He mentioned that the company would schedule the first reflight of a full-stage booster once this step was accomplished.
This launch marked the 40th for the Electron rocket and carried the first of Capella Space’s Acadia line of synthetic aperture radar imaging satellites. This satellite line offers enhanced image resolution, improved image quality, and better communications capabilities for both tasking the satellites and transmitting imagery.
The launch was part of a contract between Rocket Lab and Capella Space for four Electron missions carrying Acadia satellites, with launches scheduled in rapid succession.
In 2023, Rocket Lab has conducted eight Electron missions, including one for the suborbital version of Electron known as HASTE. The company has projected a total of 15 Electron launches for the year.
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