The Moon God Awakens

Welcome everyone! This mission marks Electron’s return to flight after the failed launch of Acadia Mission 2 (We Will Never Desert You).

Scheduled for UTC	2023-12-15 04:00
Scheduled for (local)	2023-12-15 17:00 (NZDT)
Launch site	LC-1B, Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand.
Launch vehicle	Electron
Customer	iQPS
Payload	QPS-SAR-5 synthetic-aperture radar satellite
Mission success criteria	Successful deployment of QPS-SAR-5 into desired orbit

Livestreams

Stream	Link
Rocket Lab	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLwTLqaCnQ8
Everyday Astronaut	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_IR2VR_3co
The Launch Pad	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9Jd5DxDr6w
Space Affairs	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IhrmgiROXI

Stats

• This will be the 10th launch for Rocket Lab this year.
• This will be the 42nd launch for Rocket Lab.

Payload info:

NextSpaceflight:

QPS-SAR-5 is a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite that will join a constellation after QPS-SAR-6 already in orbit. iQPS’s satellites are small, high-performance SAR satellites that use a lightweight, large, stowable antenna to collect high resolution images of Earth, even through clouds and adverse weather conditions. Ultimately, the iQPS constellation is planned to have 36 satellites capable of monitoring specific fixed points on Earth every 10 minutes.

Target orbit	Low Earth Orbit
Total Mass	100 kg

Previous mission (We Will Never Desert You) | Next mission (Four Of A Kind)

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!