News

Rocket Lab, a California-based aerospace company, is working on identifying the cause of the recent failure of its Electron rocket, which led to the loss of a commercial Earth-observing satellite. Although investigations are still underway, the company is optimistic about a prompt return to flight.

According to Rocket Lab’s update on October 25th, a comprehensive review of the failure is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. The company is aiming to implement corrective measures and resume launches later this quarter.

The incident occurred approximately 2.5 minutes into the mission on September 19th, specifically after the activation of the second-stage engine. However, the first stage of the Electron rocket operated as expected throughout the flight.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is overseeing the investigation, and the National Transportation Safety Board is acting as an official observer. Despite the ongoing inquiry, the FAA has confirmed that Rocket Lab’s launch license remains active, indicating their confidence in the company’s ability to address the issue.

Prior to the recent failure, the Electron rocket had successfully completed 20 consecutive missions. In total, it has carried out 37 launches and deployed 171 satellites into orbit. The previous failure occurred in May 2021.

The ill-fated mission, named “We Will Never Desert You,” was intended to launch a synthetic aperture radar satellite for Capella Space, a San Francisco-based company. This was Rocket Lab’s third mission for Capella in 2023, with the previous two missions achieving success.

The post Rocket Lab Prepares for Quick Recovery After Launch Failure appeared first on satProviders.