BlackSky

BlackSky are a series of small, 60 kg Earth observation satellites that take high-resolution, up-to-the-minute images the planet's surface.

Once in orbit, BlackSky’s satellites capture images of Earth with sub-meter resolution. The company uses machine learning technology to track the world’s news for emerging events and task microsatellites to image them, which provides time-sensitive and critical information to early responders.

In fact, demand for such detailed and up-to-date images of Earth's surface has caused BlackSky to rapidly grow the size of their constellation.

Three BlackSky satellites previously launched by Rocket Lab are already in orbit. BlackSky hopes to have a completed 16 satellite constellation by early 2022 with four launches of two satellites each on Electron rockets by the end of 2021.

Image: Rocket Lab

Electron

Meet Electron, Rocket Lab's answer to the growing demand for dedicated small satellite launchers.

Electron flew for the first time in May 2017 and uses Rutherford engines, the first electric engines to power an orbital rocket.

The rocket costs approximately $6 million (USD) per mission before reuse is accounted for.

It has two primary stages that burn liquid oxygen and liquid kerosene as well as a kickstage that burns an unknown monopropellant, or storable fuel.

Rocket Lab names each Electron mission after a unique or quirky element of the flight. Past examples include "That's A Funny Looking Cactus" for odd looking cacti in New Mexico where one payload customer was located, and "Return To Sender" the first time a first stage was recovered for inspection and partial reuse.

The mission has been named ‘Love At First Insight’ and will be part of Rocket Lab’s fastest turnaround between launches to date with their next mission, "A Data With Destiny", scheduled to launch in November.

Rocket Lab recently introduced improvements to Electron that allow it to take 75 kg more to orbit on each mission as well as a wider payload fairing to accommodate larger satellites.

Rocket Lab is also working to make Electron's first stage reusable as they will also attempt a controlled ocean splashdown and recovery of Electron's first stage.

This will mark the first time a helicopter will be stationed in the recovery zone around 200 nautical miles offshore to track and visually observe a descending stage in preparation for future aerial capture attempts.

Picture: Electron. Credit: Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1A (LC-1A) on the Māhia Peninsula on New Zealand's North Island is part of the company's first launch site, with another under construction at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia.

An isolated location, the Māhia launch site hosted its first orbital launch attempt of Electron in May 2017 and its first successful orbital launch in January 2018.

Together with Rocket Lab's third launch pad in Virginia, their launch sites can support up to 132 Electron launch opportunities every year.

The Māhia location has two launch pads (LC-1A and LC-1B) and two separate integration hangers to permit simultaneous and protected processing of two payloads for flight at the same time.

LC-1A is the original pad at the Māhia site, with LC-1B launching its first mission in February 2022.

Photo: Rocket Lab