Owl Night Long

Well folks, it’s time for another Rocket Lab launch, and the first launch thread in this new community!

Scheduled for UTC 2024-03-12 15:03
Scheduled for (local) 2024-03-13 04:03 (NZDT)
Launch site LC-1B, Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand.
Booster recovery No
Launch vehicle Electron + Curie
Customer Synspective
Payload StriX-3 (100 kg)
Mission success criteria Successful deployment of spacecraft into Sun-Synchronous Orbit

Livestreams

Stream Link
Rocket Lab (official) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF9cWWkSlsQ
Everyday Astronaut
Space Affairs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gclLUKCSbdM
The Launch Pad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRz-JX97NP4

Stats

  • This will be the 3rd launch for Rocket Lab this year.
  • This will be the 45th overall launch for Rocket Lab.

Payload info:

Rocket Lab mission page

NextSpaceflight:

This is the third of a bulk buy of three Electron launches by Synspective to deliver their StriX satellites to low Earth orbit. StriX satellites can collect data with a ground resolution of 1-3m and a swath width of more than 10-30km. Each Electron launch will deliver 1 StriX satellite into orbit.

Previous mission (On Closer Inspection) | Next mission (Live and Let Fly (NROL-123))

Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here! Also feel free to leave feedback or suggestions for the mod team. We’re a brand new community, so feedback is very valuable!

    • @threelonmusketeersOPMEnglish
      2•3 months ago

      Are NZ launches for sun synchronous orbit always done in the middle of the night? Or is it also about the exact position as well?

      It depends on what specific sun synchronous orbit is desired (e.g. noon/midnight orbit vs. dawn/dusk orbit), and what time of year the launch occurs.

      The launch time will drift by ~4 minutes earlier per day over the course of the year. If you want to launch into the same SSO 3 months later, you have to launch ~6 hours earlier in the day.

      Edit: I was mistaken.

      • @[email protected]M
        1•4 months ago

        The sidereal day you linked to says it’s about being synced with the celestial sphere (position of the stars). Not the sun?

        I would have thought if you want to be in the sun, you’d need to launch to get to the same position at the same time relative to sunrise. I don’t really understand how the 4 minute drift happens for solar synchronous orbits?

        • @threelonmusketeersOPMEnglish
          2•3 months ago

          Upon reflection, I believe you are correct and I was mistaken. For SSO, launch time would be relative to solar time (sunrise) NOT sidereal time (stars). Whoops :)

  • @threelonmusketeersOPMEnglish
    2•4 months ago

    Nominal curie engine burn and orbit insertion. Payload deploy confirmed.

  • @threelonmusketeersOPMEnglish
    2•4 months ago

    MECO, stage separation, stage-2 ignition, and fairing jettison.

  • @threelonmusketeersOPMEnglish
    2•4 months ago

    SECO and kick-stage separation confirmed!

    Curie burn scheduled for around T+50 minutes.