Ready, Aim, PREFIRE

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

07:41:00

Saturday May 25, 2024

Watch Replay

Official Livestream

Mission Details

Read Article

PREFIRE Mission 1

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.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit

1 Payload

Rocket

Active
Electron/Curie

Active Since 2018


Price

$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

Launch Site

Rocket Lab LC-1B

Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand

Fastest Turnaround

8 days 20 hours

Stats

Electron


48th

Mission

6th

Mission of 2024

Rocket Lab


48th

Mission

6th

Mission of 2024

2024


100th

Orbital launch attempt