Launch site: launch pad LC- 1B, Mahia, New Zealand
Launch rocket: electronic rocket
Launching load: StriX-β satellite of Synspective Company.
Launch Mission Name: Owl Night Continues/Owl Night Continues.
This launch is the first launch of an electronic rocket in 2022, and it is also the 24th cumulative launch of an electronic rocket by the Rocket Laboratory.
The name of this mission is "Owl's Night Continues". Owl's Night Continues. The name is to pay tribute to the StriX synthetic aperture radar satellite of Synspective. StriX is a common name for owls and has excellent eyesight. Spacecraft can image the millimeter-scale changes of the earth's surface from space, and satellite imaging is not affected by the meteorological environment on the surface.
StriX-β satellite is a SAR satellite of Japanese startup Synspective.
Synspective has launched the StriX-α satellite in the "Owl Night Start/Owl Night Start" mission from June 205438 to February 2020. StriX-α satellite adopts strip and sliding spotlight observation mode, and StriX-α can provide images with resolution as high as 1 meter. The strip mode scanning width is 30 km, and the sliding spotlight scanning width is 10 km. StriX-α satellite weighs about 150kg and runs in 500km sun-synchronous orbit. Its SAR antenna is about 5m long after being deployed in orbit, and the ground resolution is expected to reach 1~3m. (Owl Night Opening: Electronic Rocket Launches Japanese SAR Satellite)
StriX-β is the second demonstration satellite of Sympathetic Company's Earth observation radar which uses X-band for 24-hour continuous monitoring. The demonstration satellite has a mass of about 100 kg and is equipped with two solar cell arrays. The satellite has a 5-meter-long synthetic aperture radar antenna, which is folded when it is launched.
StriX-β will be launched into the sun-synchronous orbit with a height of 56 1km, and the sun-synchronous regression orbit will be revisited once a day, and images of specific places on the earth will be taken at the same time and under the same conditions every 24 hours. This will allow satellites to track any changes and trends at specific locations on the earth's surface. The company plans to launch the first commercial prototype satellite StriX- 1 later this year, and increase the number of satellites to six by 2023.
Synspective is not the only company planning to launch a small SAR constellation. Similar companies are ICEYE in Finland and Capella in the United States.
Artistic concept map of unaccompanied synthetic aperture radar satellite
ICEYE Synthetic Aperture Radar Satellite Art Concept Map
Rocket Lab's "Owl Night Continuation/Owl Night Continuation" mission will be the company's first mission at the new launch pad in Marcia, New Zealand. The CEO of Rocket Lab said that the new launch pad will double the launch frequency of electronic rockets.
The new launch pad is called 1 launch pad B, or LC- 1B for short, and it is only 1 17m away from LC- 10a launch pad. According to the company's spokesperson, so far, the rocket launch pad has been used for all 23 electronic rocket launch missions.
"With two launch pads, we have doubled our capabilities and achieved maximum launch flexibility," said Sean de Mello, vice president of launch at Rocket Lab. "This means that we always have a ready-made platform when customers need us." Peter baker, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, said that the company built this new launch pad to give the launch mission a higher pace. The new launch pad LC- 1B is basically a replica of launch pad LC- 1A, with a slight improvement. "
Rocket Lab is an American-based company that manufactures and launches rockets in New Zealand. In the new wave of companies entering the small satellite launch industry, it is a relatively successful company and has won many contracts from commercial customers, the US military and NASA. Rocket Lab has also expanded its business into space operations and satellite manufacturing.
The electronic rocket is18m high and can put small satellites into orbit. According to the Rocket Laboratory, electronic rockets can send 200 kilograms of objects into a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. In 20 17, the rocket laboratory began to launch electronic rockets at Mahia, a private spaceport on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. From there, the payload can be launched to the orbit with an inclination greater than 30. A dedicated electronic rocket costs about $7 million, which is much cheaper than a large rocket. But larger rockets, such as Falcon 9 of Space Exploration Technology, can deploy heavier cargo, gather many small satellites in a carpool mission, and multiple customers share the cost of a launch.
The rocket laboratory is developing a new generation of rockets called neutrons, which can carry a heavier payload than electrons. It is scheduled to debut in 2024, equipped with a reusable first stage to better compete with rockets like Falcon 9. Before the neutron rocket is put into use, the Rocket Laboratory will continue to launch electronic rockets from two launch platforms in New Zealand and build a new launch site in Valupes, Virginia.
The LC- 1B launch pad has its own fuel storage tank for storing kerosene and liquid oxygen used by electronic rockets. Mahia's two rocket launchers are independent of each other, but * * * uses a rocket hangar and a satellite launch processing room. Baker said that the two launch pads can support two electronic rocket launches in one day.