Launch Success
Liftoff Time (GMT)
01:43:00
Sunday January 21, 2018
Watch Replay
Official Livestream
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The first successful launch of the Electron rocket. First flight of the Curie stage.
An Earth observation satellite for Planet Labs.
Sun-Synchronous Orbit
1 Payload
5 kilograms
Spire satellites are built to conform to the CubeSat standard. The satellites are multi-sensor. Data types such as Automatic Identification System (AIS) service are used for tracking ships, and weather payloads measure temperature, pressure, and precipitation. AIS data is meant for use in illegal fishing, trade monitoring, maritime domain awareness, insurance, asset tracking, search and rescue, and piracy.
Polar Orbit
2 Payloads
8 kilograms
Humanity Star is a highly reflective polyhedron launched on the It's a Test and Still Testing maiden flights of the Electron rocket. It was designed and built by Rocket Lab specifically for this mission. It is a bright, blinking satellite orbiting Earth, visible to the naked eye in the night sky. The Humanity Star is designed to encourage everyone to look up and consider our place in the universe. Created by Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck, the Humanity Star is a geodesic sphere made from carbon fibre with 65 highly reflective panels. It spins rapidly, reflecting the sun’s rays back to Earth, creating a flashing light that can be seen against a backdrop of stars.
Polar Orbit
1 Payload
10 kilograms
Agency
Rocket LabPrice
$7.50 million
Rocket
Height: 18m
Payload to Orbit
LEO: 320 kg
Liftoff Thrust
224 Kilonewtons
Fairing
Diameter: 1.2m
Height: 4.05m
Stages
3
2nd
Mission
1st
Mission of 2018
2nd
Mission
1st
Mission of 2018
10th
Orbital launch attempt