Electron before the Aug. 6 launch of an iQPS radar-imaging satellite. Credit: Rocket Lab
WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab launched a Japanese radar-imaging satellite Aug. 6, more than a month after the previous launch attempt was aborted.
The Electron rocket lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 5:18 a.m. Eastern. The rocket’s payload, the QPS-SAR-13 satellite, separated from the upper stage nearly 50 minutes later into a planned circular orbit at an altitude of 575 kilometers and an inclination of 42 degrees.
The launch was the first for Rocket Lab since June 26, when it placed a radar-imaging satellite for Synspective into orbit. Rocket Lab had planned to launch this mission, called “The Grain Goddess Provides” by the company, on June 30, but aborted the launch just as Electron’s first-stage engines ignited.
The company did not disclose what caused the scrub or the extended delay until this launch. Rocket Lab’s launch webcast did not mention the delay.
