PREFIRE And Ice

Just a week after the first PREFIRE spacecraft were launched, it’s time for part two!

Scheduled for (UTC) 2024-06-05 03:00
Scheduled for (NZST) 2024-06-05 15:00
Launch site Rocket Lab LC-1B, Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand
Booster recovery No
Launch vehicle Electron + Curie
Customers NASA
Payloads PREFIRE
Mission success criteria Successful deployment of spacecraft into Sun-Synchronous Orbit

Livestreams

Stream Link
Rocket Lab (official) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBBhzkNzcYQ (scrub)
Everyday Astronaut
Space Affairs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yyw7FyMzsgI (scrub)
The Launch Pad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFygbJ4BiSs

Stats

  • This will be the 7th launch for Rocket Lab this year.
  • This will be the 49th overall launch for Rocket Lab.

Payload info:

Rocket Lab mission page

NextSpaceflight:

The PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission will send two CubeSats into space to study how much heat the planet absorbs and emits from its polar regions, including the Arctic and Antarctica.

Analysis of PREFIRE measurements will inform climate and ice models, providing better projections of how a warming world will affect sea ice loss, ice sheet melt, and sea level rise. Improving climate models can ultimately help to provide more accurate projections on the impacts of storm severity and frequency, as well as coastal erosion and flooding.

SpaceflightNow article

Previous mission (Ready, Aim, PREFIRE) | Next mission (No Time Toulouse)

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

  • threelonmusketeersOPMEnglish
    2·
    6 months ago

    Hold called at T-2:07. I believe this was the last launch opportunity in today’s window, so this is likely a “see you tomorrow” (or later) situation.

    Edit: Yep, they’re preparing to detank the propellant.

      • threelonmusketeersOPMEnglish
        2·
        6 months ago

        Not yet: https://x.com/RocketLab/status/1796756263302496517

        Launch update: We stood down from today’s launch attempt for ‘PREFIRE and Ice’ for @NASA but we have plenty back-up opportunities in the coming days. Stay tuned for the new launch date soon.

        The earliest launch window would be the following day, but it could take longer than that to diagnose and fix whatever the issue was.