24/7 Space News
ROCKET SCIENCE
Rocket Lab puts Japanese satellite into orbit
Rocket Lab puts Japanese satellite into orbit
by Clyde Hughes
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 15, 2023

Rocket Lab returned its Electron rocket into space for the first time since September with a successful New Zealand flight on Friday that released a Japanese satellite into orbit.

The payload, the QPS-SAR-5, or Tsukuyomi-1 satellite, reached orbit about 57 minutes after launching from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1. The Japanese company iQPS develops and operates small SAR satellites and works toward creating a world with quasi-real-time maps.

"Tsukuyomi-1 has been deployed to its new home in orbit," Rocket Lab said on X, formerly Twitter. "Congratulations to the OPS Inc. team and welcome to space."

The Electron rocket flight was the first since Sept. 19 after the second stage of the rocket appeared to shut down after separating from the first during another flight that was taking a satellite into space.

It was the 10th Electron rocket flight for Rocket Lab this year, beating the company's record of nine set in 2022.

"[This is] further cementing Electron's position as the leading small launch vehicle globally," Peter Beck, chief executive of Rocket Lab, said in a statement. "We look forward to building on that record with an even busier year of launches in 2024."

The satellite put into space on Friday will be part of a 36-satellite constellation designed to monitor fixed points on Earth every 10 minutes.

"We are deeply grateful to the Rocket Lab team for their efforts in arranging the launch opportunity that aligns perfectly with our desired orbit," said iQPS CEO Shunsuke Onishi." Additionally, we take great pride in our team, working tirelessly day by day to accommodate this tight timeline."

Related Links
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
ROCKET SCIENCE
Rocket Lab Sets Launch Date for iQPS's 'The Moon God Awakens' Mission
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 14, 2023
In a significant development in the realm of space launches and Earth observation, Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: RKLB), a global leader in launch services, is gearing up for its 42nd Electron mission. Scheduled no earlier than December 15, 2023, between 17:00 - 19:00, the mission, aptly named "The Moon God Awakens," is set to lift off from Pad B at Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. This mission holds special significance as it will be carrying a single satellite for the Japan-based Earth ima ... read more

ROCKET SCIENCE
NASA Outlines Future Strategy for Post-ISS Microgravity Research Labs in LEO

Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin headed back into space after accident

NASA: Let's Ketchup on International Space Station Tomato Research

MSBAI and Princeton partner in SpaceWERX contract to enhance space flight training

ROCKET SCIENCE
Virgin Galactic sets January 2024 for 11th mission

NASA's 3D-printed Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine Test a Success

Sierra Space's Dream Chaser New Station Resupply Spacecraft for NASA

Blue Origin scrubs return of New Shepard rocket flight due to technical issue

ROCKET SCIENCE
Recent volcanism on Mars reveals a planet more active than previously thought

Sussex research takes us a step closer to sustaining human life on Mars

A Soliday Before the Holidays Sols 4039-4040

Rocker-Bogie Around the Marsmas Sea: Sols 4041-4042

ROCKET SCIENCE
Shenzhou XVII astronauts set for their first spacewalk

China's commercial space sector achieves milestones with series of successful launches

China's space programme: Five things to know

Long March rockets mark their 500th spaceflight

ROCKET SCIENCE
Bayanat and Yahsat to Merge, Forming AI-Driven Space Technology Powerhouse, Space42

NASA Enhances Aerospace Innovation with New SBIR Ignite Phase I Awards

NASA and Blue Origin partner to propel space technology in latest suborbital flight

Satellite Communications Innovator Lynk Global to Go Public via Slam Corp. Merger

ROCKET SCIENCE
The feline frontier: NASA sends cat video from deep space

Sidus Space's LizzieSat gears up for launch with successful test

Apex satellite factory aiming to produce 50 units annually

Leidos completes successful Lonestar Tactical Space Support Vehicle demonstration

ROCKET SCIENCE
Astrophysicists publish Kepler Giant Planet Search, an aid to 'figure out where to find life'

NASA Study Finds Life-Sparking Energy Source and Molecule at Enceladus

Some Icy Exoplanets May Have Habitable Oceans and Geysers

Earth may have had all the elements needed for life within it all along

ROCKET SCIENCE
The PI's Perspective: The Long Game

Webb rings in the holidays with the ringed planet Uranus

Unwrapping Uranus and its icy moon secrets

Juice burns hard towards first-ever Earth-Moon flyby

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.