A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched the QPS-SAR-9 satellite for the Japan-based Earth-imaging company iQPS from New Zealand site on March 14, 2025 at 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT and 1 p.m. local New Zealand time on March 15).
Credit: Rocket Lab
Credit: Rocket Lab
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00:0010, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
00:1310, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
00:43Stage 1 propulsion nominal.
00:47Okay, the lightning god's reign has begun and we are on our way to space.
00:54Electron has lifted off from Launch Complex 1, cleared the pad,
00:58and is now travelling at over 800 kilometres per hour
01:02as it propels IQPS's satellite towards orbit.
01:05Now one of the next calls you'll hear from our operators is Max Q,
01:09and that's the point in flight when Electron experiences the highest aerodynamic loads.
01:14Let's listen in for that call.
01:24Cleared Max Q.
01:26That's Max Q behind us and Electron is continuing its way to space for our 61st mission.
01:34Electron is now at an altitude above 17 kilometres, travelling at speeds past 2,400 kilometres per hour.
01:42Up next in quick succession we have MECO, that's Main Engine Cut-Off,
01:47which is when the first stage engines shut down.
01:50A few seconds later, Electron's first and second stages separate.
01:54At this point, Stage 1's role in the mission is now complete.
01:58But it's just getting started for Stage 2.
02:01Shortly after separation, the single Rutherford engine on Stage 2 will ignite,
02:06and that will propel us the rest of the way to an elliptical transfer orbit.
02:10So watch closely to see all of this take place in the next few seconds.
02:17Stage 1 propulsion holding nominal. Standby for MECO in 30 seconds.
02:3215 seconds to staging.
02:35Enter burner detect mode.
02:49MECO confirmed.
02:55Stage separation confirmed.
02:57Stage 2 ignition confirmed.
03:02And as planned, that sequence of milestones is now complete,
03:06and Electron's second stage is continuing to orbit.
03:09Now it's the fairing's turn.
03:11The two halves of the clamshell fairing will separate and fall back to Earth,
03:15exposing the IQPS satellite to space for the very first time.
03:19Those fairings, like the rest of Electron's structure, are made from carbon composite,
03:24so they're incredibly lightweight but also strong.
03:28It's why we're making Neutron's fairings from the same material.
03:32But unlike today's fairings,
03:34Neutrons will stay attached to the vehicle for landing and rapid reuse.
03:43Fairing jettison confirmed.
03:45And there we have it. Electron's fairing has been jettisoned,
03:48and the QPS SAR 9 now has its unobstructed view of its new home in space.
03:53We're now coming up to four minutes into the flight,
03:56with just a couple more minutes remaining in this second stage burn.
04:14When it comes to launching rockets and spacecraft, we don't just build, then fly.
04:19We rely on rigorous test campaigns to ensure mission success.
04:23For new parts, we start with development testing,
04:26followed by design qualification, or QOL.
04:29QOL testing stresses the design far beyond expected conditions it would endure for a nominal mission,
04:36with vibration, shock, thermal cycling and thermal vacuum, or TVAC,
04:40being a handful of test examples conducted.
04:43Next up is acceptance testing, intended for real flight article hardware.
04:48These tests are typically less harsh on components versus QOL as to not fatigue them.
04:53After all, these are being used on actual mission.
04:56The aim is to catch workmanship issues and performance variances.
05:00For Neutron, some electron components are reused,
05:03but require additional testing due to the high acoustic and vibration levels
05:07from the more powerful Archimedes engines.
05:10The scope of Neutron's test campaigns cover individual components in isolation,
05:15up to large integrated tests to ensure various systems, avionics, software,
05:21mechanical fluids, propulsion, all work together as expected.
05:25That includes tank pressure tests, engine hot fires, and as shown earlier, the hungry hippo.
05:31Alright, back to the mission you see on your screen,
05:34and next we are getting ready to hear some of our four favourite words,
05:38battery hot swap successful.
05:41And that will mean that we have reached the point in flight
05:44when the depleted batteries that power Rutherford's electric fuel pumps
05:48are ejected from the second stage.
05:50We then immediately swap over to a fresh set of batteries
05:53to get us to the rest of the way to orbit.
05:56And that's why we call it a hot swap,
05:58since it happens while the engine burn is still underway.
06:01So as well as hearing the call out from operators,
06:04you should also be able to see the shiny silver batteries
06:07fall away from Electron on your screen.
06:09So eyes and ears at the ready for that flight milestone.
06:14AGB discharge holding nominal, approaching hot swap in roughly 30 seconds.
06:33Throttling down.
06:40Battery jettison confirmed.
06:43Confirmed hot swap, 264.
06:49OK, in the eternal words of NSYNC, we have said bye bye bye to those batteries.
06:55A fresh set has taken over with just a few minutes now remaining in the flight.
06:59And the average orbital Electron mission takes about
07:02three minutes to complete.
07:04With just a few minutes now remaining in the flight.
07:06And the average orbital Electron mission takes around
07:09nine minutes to reach orbit, which means across more than 60 missions,
07:13we have spent more than nine hours capturing views like this one
07:17on our multiple journeys to space.
07:19And still, I tell you what, it's a view we never get sick of.
07:23With just over seven minutes completed in today's launch,
07:26we have passed through most of the key milestones
07:28with just two more remaining.
07:30That's SECO, or second engine cutoff, and stage separation.
07:34This is where Electron's kick stage separates from stage two
07:38in preparation for payload deployment.
07:41But before that, we've still got a few minutes to watch that
07:44Electron's nozzle glow brightly before shutdown.
07:50OK, T-plus, seven minutes, 47 seconds and counting,
07:54and everything is proceeding nominally so far.
07:57The operators in mission control continue to monitor vehicle systems closely
08:02as we approach that all important throttle down
08:05and the second engine cutoff ahead of kick stage separation.
08:08Now, if you're keeping an eye on our space station,
08:11we've got a few more minutes to watch.
08:13But before that, we've got a few more minutes to watch.
08:17Now, if you're keeping an eye on our speed,
08:19you want to see that dial at around 27 to 28,000 kilometres an hour,
08:25which will indicate that we have hit orbital insertion speed.
08:40Electron's 61st flight is coming to an end in just a few moments.
08:44We're now expecting to hear the call out,
08:46burn out to tech mode from mission control.
08:49Once we hear that call, you'll know that second stage shutdown is close.
08:53Twenty seconds remaining.
09:15SECO confirmed.
09:20Nominal transfer orbit achieved.
09:22Stage separation confirmed.