Rocket Lab encountered an anomaly during the launch of a radar Earth-observing satellite Tuesday morning (Sept. 19).
An Electron rocket carrying a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) spacecraft for California company Capella Space lifted off from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand site on Tuesday at 2:55 a.m. EDT (0655 GMT; 6:55 p.m. local New Zealand time).
The Electron’s two stages separated as planned about 2.5 minutes after launch. But something went wrong soon after, causing the flight to abort.
Connected: Rocket Lab launches booster with preflown engine for first time (video)
The launch director reported this as an anomaly, resulting in mission termination. We will share more information as soon as it becomes available.19 September 2023
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Telemetry data from Rocket Lab, which the company provided during a livestream of Tuesday’s launch, showed that the velocity of the rocket’s upper stage decreased shortly after its single Rutherford engine fired.
The upper stage engine may therefore have suffered ignition failure or premature shutdown, although this is just speculation. Rocket Lab did not identify any proximate or ultimate cause, saying post on x (formerly Twitter) that it will provide more information as it becomes available.
Tuesday’s mission, which the company called “We Will Never Desert You,” was the ninth mission of the year and 41st overall. This anomaly broke the streak of 19 consecutive successful launches; The company’s most recent failure occurred in May 2021.
“We Will Never Desert You” was intended to deliver one of Capella Space’s “Acadia” satellites into a circular orbit about 395 miles (635 kilometers) above Earth. Tuesday’s flight was the second in a four-launch contract to send these advanced SAR satellites skyward.
The first mission under that contract, August 23’s “We Love the Nightlife”, featured an Electron with a used first-stage engine. (Electron’s first stage is powered by nine Rutherfords.) It was a major milestone for Rocket Lab, which is working to make the booster reusable.
The company also recovered Electron’s first stage on “We Love the Nightlife” after gently lowering it to land in the ocean with the help of a parachute. “We Will Never Desert You” apparently did not include a preflow engine, nor was a rocket recovery attempt in the cards; Rocket Lab did not mention any such plans before launch or during the webcast.
Source: www.space.com
