наноспутники Lemur-2 – Electron – Mahia – 11.11.2018 03:50 UTC

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/06/28/rocket-labs-first-commercial-launch-grounded-to-resolve-nagging-technical-issue/

Rocket Lab's first commercial launch grounded to fix nagging technical issue
June 28, 2018 | Stephen Clark


Credit: Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab will bypass its current launch window to resolve a recurring problem with a motor controller on the company's light-class Electron rocket, officials said Thursday, likely postponing its first commercial satellite launch at least a few weeks.

The indefinite delay is the second time the U.S.-New Zealand launch company, which is on the cusp of commencing commercial launch services after two test flights, has given up on a two-week launch window to examine the motor controller issue.

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"The team is standing down from this launch window to take a closer look at the motor controller behavior again. We're still not happy with the data, and as we all know, the only metric that counts in the launch business is 100% mission success," Rocket Lab tweeted Thursday.

Peter Beck, Rocket Lab's founder and CEO, tweeted that the mission "will be back on the pad shortly" at the company's launch site at Mahia Peninsula, located on New Zealand's North Island.

A motor controller for one of the Electron rocket's engines displayed unusual behavior during a countdown rehearsal in April. Rocket Lab called off plans to launch the Electron rocket that month to study the issue, before proceeding with a fresh two-week launch window which opened June 22, U.S. time.

The launch attempt June 22 (June 23 in New Zealand) was scrubbed due to a problem with a downrange tracking station in the Chatham Islands. Rocket Lab skipped launch opportunities over the following three days due to poor weather, then tried again Tuesday, U.S. time, before engineers identified the motor controller issue.

"The motor controller behavior was similar to that previously identified during wet dress rehearsal operations in April," Rocket Lab said in a statement. "This issue was analyzed and corrective measures in place, however a similar issue presented during (Tuesday's) pre-launch operational checks."

Rocket Lab officials said all systems on the rocket performed normally during a countdown rehearsal earlier this month. The successful countdown test apparently gave the launch team confidence to proceed with a launch this month.

"A motor controller is a device that governs commands given to selected hardware and software systems throughout the launch vehicle," Rocket Lab said in a statement.

"Our test program was about making it to orbit and deploying our first customer satellites," Beck said. "Having achieved that and moved into commercial operations, mission assurance is our focus for every customer flying on Electron.

"There's only one measure that matters in the launch industry and that's 100 percent mission success," Beck said in a statement. "We'll take some time to review the data and tweak whatever we need to ahead of a new launch window to make sure we achieve that."

Before the opening of this month's launch window, Beck said in an interview that engineers concluded the motor controller issue identified in April was "not a hardware issue," but a "process issue with production."

Rocket Lab's next launch is set to be the third flight of the company's privately-developed 55-foot-tall (17-meter) Electron rocket, a kerosene-fueled, two-stage launcher sized to lift nanosatellites and microsatellites into orbit for less than $5 million per mission.

The first Electron launch in May 2017 fell short of orbit due to a ground tracking error, which caused safety officials to prematurely terminate the mission. The second test flight in January successfully placed several small spacecraft in orbit, prompting Rocket Lab to declare the start of commercial service with the third launch, nicknamed "It's Business Time."

Two of satellites awaiting launch on the next Electron rocket are owned by Spire Global, a San Francisco-based company which builds and operates a fleet of CubeSats collecting weather data and tracking maritime traffic. Another California-based company, GeoOptics, is also launching a small satellite for its own commercial weather monitoring constellation.

The Electron rocket will also launch a German-built craft to test an aerodynamic drag sail that could be used to de-orbit future satellites and help clear space junk out of orbit. A CubeSat named Irvine01 built by Southern California high school students is also set for liftoff on the Electron rocket.

Before the latest delay, Beck said Rocket Lab aims to ramp up the Electron launch rate to around one flight per month by the end of the year. Rocket stages and payloads for the fourth Electron launch are nearing the end of their test and assembly campaigns, in preparation for liftoff on a mission contracted by NASA with multiple U.S.-owned experimental CubeSats.

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http://www.rocketlabusa.com/news/updates/rocket-lab-to-launch-its-business-time-and-elana-xix-missions-weeks-apart/

Aug 06, 2018

Rocket Lab to launch It's Business Time and ELaNa XIX missions weeks apart

Rocket Lab back to the pad with rapid, consecutive launches

Rocket Lab to launch It's Business Time and ELaNa XIX missions weeks apart

Rocket Lab, a US orbital launch provider for the small satellite industry, has confirmed it will launch two Electron rockets just weeks apart in late 2018.

Rocket Lab's It's Business Time mission will launch in November, with the ELaNa XIX mission for NASA to follow soon after in December. Both missions will launch from Rocket Lab's private orbital launch pad in New Zealand, Launch Complex-1.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck, says the speedy turnaround between launches is possible thanks to designing the Electron rocket for rapid manufacture, as well as Launch Complex-1's ability to process and launch vehicles quickly.

"This year our team focused on scaling up production to churn out Electron rockets at a rate of one per month. Now that we're hitting that production rate, we're working to get them launched at the same frequency by the end of this year, and increasing cadence into 2019," he said.

"It's an incredibly exciting time for the small satellite industry. Everyone on the planet will benefit from easier access to orbit in terms of innovation, research and exploration, and we're excited to be the team enabling that."

Rocket Lab stood down from an earlier launch window for It's Business Time in June 2018, after unusual behavior was identified in a motor controller during pre-launch operations. Following analysis, the motor controllers have been modified and undergone new qualification testing ahead of the next launch.

It's Business Time's manifest includes IRVINE01, an educational payload from the Irvine CubeSat STEM Program (ICSP), and NABEO, a drag sail technology demonstrator designed and built by High Performance Space Structure Systems GmBH and manifested as a hosted payload with support from Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation. Spire Global also has two Lemur-2 satellites on board, and a GeoOptics Inc. satellite, built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, rounds out the mission.

...

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 26 мин. назад

ARTICLE: Rocket Lab to return in November and immediately follow up with NASA launch in December -

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/08/rocket-lab-return-november-follow-nasa-launch/ ...

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Peter Beck‏ @Peter_J_Beck 10 ч. назад

A great 2nd stage test ahead of #ItsBusinessTime launch. All systems performing perfectly. The stage now heads down to the launch site for the November launch.

Video (0:22)

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Peter Beck‏ @Peter_J_Beck 12:58 - 2 окт. 2018 г.

LC-1 is ramping up for launch operations. #ItsBusinessTime in early November.

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Rocket Lab‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 6 ч. назад

Another @SpireGlobal Lemur-2 successfully integrated for #ItsBusinessTime! We've got two of these birds tucked into Maxwell dispensers for launch on the next Electron flight in November.

[Pirat5]

11.11.2018 (okno startowe 00:30-04:30) z wyrzutni LC-1 w Onenui Station wystrzelona zostanie RN Electron, która wyniesie na orbitę satelity Outernet 1, CICERO, Lemur-2 (x 2), IRVINE01, NABEO i Proxima (x 2).
http://lk.astronautilus.pl/plan.htm

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https://twitter.com/Peter_J_Beck/status/1058646444574355457

#ItsBusinessTime is on the pad

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Rocket Lab‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 22 ч. назад

We're so excited to have #Irvine01 on It's Business Time! This small but mighty CubeSat was built by high school students in the Irvine CubeSat STEM Program. Building, testing, and controlling a solar-powered satellite is invaluable experience for budding space careers!
#NewSpace

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Rocket Lab‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 7 ч. назад

Today our team completed the dress rehearsal for It's Business Time. How good does this LOX-filled Electron look on the pad at LC-1? Launch window opens 11 Nov NZDT.

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NOTMARS

HYDROPAC 4006/2018 (29,76)

SOUTH PACIFIC.
DNC 06, DNC 29.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
   110300Z TO 250700Z NOV IN AREA BOUND BY
   55-21S 179-06E, 55-12S 179-18W,
   62-33S 176-48W, 62-42S 178-51W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 250800Z NOV 18.

( 060751Z NOV 2018 )


HYDROPAC 4007/2018 (76)

WESTERN SOUTH PACIFIC.
NEW ZEALAND.
DNC 06.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
   0300Z TO 0700Z DAILY 11 THRU 25 NOV
   IN AREA BOUND BY
   39-11.24S 177-47-00E, 39-11.24S 178-00.00E,
   39-51.00S 178-00.00E, 39-51.00S 177-47.00E.
2. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
   0300Z TO 0700Z DAILY 11 THRU 25 NOV
   IN AREA BOUND BY
   43-51.00S 177-30.00E, 43-45.00S 179-00.00E,
   47-20.00S 179-48.00E, 47-26.40S 178-00.00E.
3. CANCEL THIS MSG 250800Z NOV 18.

( 060813Z NOV 2018 )

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Rocket Lab‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 7 нояб.

L-4 days. Range is ready. #ItsBusinessTime

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Peter Beck‏ @Peter_J_Beck 21:18 - 8 нояб. 2018 г.

At this stage, we are go for launch in T-46 hours.

Прим. Время сообщения - время сервера в Калифорнии (PST)

P.S. Если расчёты верны, то T0 ~16:18:00 NZDT 2018-11-11 (03:18:00 UTC)

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Брошюра миссии (обновлена)

Its-Business-Time-Press-Kit6.pdf - 1.3 MB, 7 стр, 2018-10-30 21:53:16 UTC

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/11/10/rocket-lab-its-business-time-mission-status-center/

Live coverage: Rocket Lab ready for first commercial satellite launch
November 10, 2018 | Stephen Clark

11/10/2018 21:48 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab's first operational launch is set for takeoff from Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand during a four-hour window opening at 10 p.m. EST Saturday (0300 GMT Sunday). The Electron rocket will carry six CubeSats and a tech demo payload into orbit for customers in the United States, Australia, and Germany.

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The two-stage, 55-foot-tall (17-meter) rocket will blast off from Launch Complex 1, Rocket Lab's privately-owned spaceport on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island.

The commercial launcher is carrying seven payloads -- six that will deploy in orbit and another that will remain attached to the Electron's upper stage.

It's first Electron launch since Rocket Lab declared the start of commercial service. The company launched two Electron test flights, with an inaugural launch in May 2017 that fell short of orbit, and a successful flight in January that put several small satellites into orbit.

Today's mission will target an initial elliptical orbit ranging between 186 miles and 310 miles (300-500 kilometers) above Earth. The Electron's Curie kick stage will circularize the orbit at an altitude of 310 miles before separation of the satellites.

It will take around nine minutes for the Electron rocket to reach its preliminary orbit, and the Curie stage will ignite at T+plus 51 minutes to maneuver into the final orbit for deployment of the CubeSats.

All the satellites should be separated from the launcher by T+plus 54 minutes, 10 seconds, according to Rocket Lab.

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Rocket Lab‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 2 мин. назад

Welcome to launch day. We are currently targeting no earlier than 16:50 NZDT for lift-off (3:50 UTC/19:50 PST/22:50 EST). Live webcast will be available approx. 20 mins prior to target T-0.

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Rocket Lab‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 2 мин. назад

Electron is vertical on the pad at LC-1. #ItsBusinessTime

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Rocket Lab‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab сейчас31 минуту назад

T-3 hours. #ItsBusinessTime