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UPDATE 3: A Successful ‘Another One Leaves The Crust’ Launch Completed By Rocket Lab

UPDATE 2

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket on the launch pad prior to liftoff and the activity at the company’s launch control center. Screenshot is courtesy of Rocket Lab’s launch video.

Rocket Lab has successfully launched their 18th Electron mission, ‘Another One Leaves The Crust,’ on 20:26 NZDT / 07:26 UTC on January 20, 2021.

The launch of ‘Another One Leaves the Crust” mission. Screenshot courtesy of Rocket Lab’s launch video.

The launch was procured for OHB Group through OHB Cosmos International Launch Service GmbH, the launch service division of OHB Group. OHB Cosmos is responsible for launching the spacecraft built by the Group’s satellite manufacturers based in Germany, Sweden, and Czech Republic.

The mission was Rocket Lab’s 18th Electron launch and brings the total number of satellites launched by the company to 97.

Peter Beck

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck, said, “Congratulations to our mission partners at OHB Group. We’re thrilled to have kicked off a busy year with a dedicated mission that once again demonstrates Electron’s unique ability to provide our small satellite customers with control over their mission schedule and orbital parameters.”  

Details about the customers onboard Rocket Lab’s 19th Electron launch will be announced shortly.

‘Another One Leaves The Crust’ is the first mission in a busy launch manifest for 2021, which includes multiple dedicated and rideshare small satellite missions for government and commercial customers. This year will also see Rocket Lab launch a Photon mission to the Moon in support of NASA’s CAPSTONE program, and also launch the first missions from Rocket Lab’s two additional launch pads – Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia, and the new Pad B at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.

UPDATE 1

Rocket Lab is currently targeting no earlier than 07:38, January 16 UTC for lift-off of our 18th Electron launch, the ‘Another One Leaves The Crust’ mission.

Launch Window:

  • NZT: 20:38 – 20:45 (16 Jan)
  • UTC: 07:38 – 07:45 (16 Jan)
  • ET: 02:38 – 02:45 (16 Jan)
  • PT: 23:38 – 23:45 (15 Jan)

The company has backup opportunities available through January 25 should Rocket Lab need to stand down for any reason. For real time updates on launch day, keep an eye on Twitter @RocketLab.

Mission Information

  • ‘Another One Leaves The Crust’ will launch a single communications satellite for OHB Group.
  • The mission will be Rocket Lab’s 18th launch overall and first mission of 2020.
  • Rocket Lab will not be attempting to recover Electron’s first stage for this mission. Stay tuned for details of our next recovery mission soon.

Original news story…

Rocket Lab has announced that their first Electron launch of the new year will be a dedicated mission for European space technology company OHB Group.

This dedicated mission, named ‘Another One Leaves the Crust,’ is scheduled for lift-off during a 10-day launch window that opens on January 16 NZT/UTC. Encapsulated inside Electron’s fairing will be a single communication smallsat that will enable specific frequencies to support future services from orbit.

The launch will be Rocket Lab’s 18th Electron mission and was procured for OHB Group through OHB Cosmos International Launch Service GmbH, the launch service division of OHB Group. OHB Cosmos is responsible for launching the spacecraft built by the Group’s satellite manufacturers based in Germany, Sweden and the Czech Republic.

The mission will launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula to an initial elliptical orbit, then Electron’s Kick Stage will perform a series of burns with its relightable Curie engine to raise apogee and act as a space tug to deliver the OHB Cosmos’ payload to its precise orbital destination.

Photo of Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.

Following payload deployment, the Kick Stage will perform a de-orbit burn to lower its perigee where it will experience greater atmospheric drag, enabling it to re-enter and burn up faster to avoid becoming space junk. Rocket Lab will not be attempting to recover Electron’s first stage for this mission.

‘Another One Leaves the Crust’ is the first mission in a packed launch manifest for 2021, which includes multiple dedicated and rideshare small satellite missions for both government and commercial customers. This year will also see Rocket Lab launch a Photon mission to the Moon in support of NASA’s CAPSTONE program and also launch the first missions from Rocket Lab’s two additional launch pads – Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia, and the new Pad B at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.

Rocket Lab’s founder and CEO, Peter Beck, said, “We’re proud to be delivering a speedy and streamlined path to orbit for OHB Group on this mission, with launch taking place within six months of contract signing. By flying as a dedicated mission on Electron, OHB and their mission partners have control over launch timing, orbit, integration schedule, and other mission parameters.”