On Closer Inspection
Well folks, it’s time for another Rocket Lab launch!
| Scheduled for UTC | 2024-02-18 14:52 |
|---|---|
| Scheduled for (local) | 2024-02-19 03:52 (NZDT) |
| Launch site | LC-1B, Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand. |
| Booster recovery | No |
| Launch vehicle | Electron + Curie |
| Customer | JAXA |
| Payload | ADRAS-J (150 kg) |
| Mission success criteria | Successful deployment of spacecraft into Sun-Synchronous Orbit |
Livestreams
| Stream | Link |
|---|---|
| Rocket Lab | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcuZMP1m_g8 |
| Everyday Astronaut | |
| Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byanNiEnBbw |
| The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2cieJdC8DU |
Stats
- This will be the 2nd launch for Rocket Lab this year.
- This will be the 44th overall launch for Rocket Lab.
Payload info:
The ADRAS-J spacecraft was selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for Phase I of its Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration Project (CRD2), one of the world’s first technology demonstrations of removing large-scale debris from orbit. ADRAS-J will demonstrate a safe and secure approach — known as RPO — with an H-IIA rocket 2nd stage launched in January 2009, and will obtain images of and other conditional data (spin rate, spin axis, conditions etc.) about that object, delivering observational information to better understand the space debris environment.
Previous mission (Four Of A Kind) | Next mission (Owl Night Long)
Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here! Also feel free to leave feedback or suggestions for the mod team. We’re still a relatively small sub, so feedback from the community is very valuable!
Is it normal to do launches at 4am? I guess things line up when they line up so you gotta launch in that window?
Yeah, pretty much. The target orbit is a Sun-Synchronous orbit, which is a high-inclination (nearly polar) orbit. Any given launch site passes under this orbit only twice per day, and usually only one of these two is practical if you want to avoid launching over populated areas. As a result, sometimes you’ve got to launch at 4 a.m.
Ah neat! I hadn’t realised an orbit was possible that maintained the same overhead sunlight! Just reading wikipedia, it seems this is only possible for squished planets and not for perfectly spherical ones.