Published on 25 May 2024 | Erin Hokanson Wagner
Rocket Lab's Ready, Aim, PREFIRE mission launches the first of two PREFIRE satellites. Credit: Rocket LabRocket Lab successfully launched the first of two PREFIRE satellites from Mahia, New Zealand at 7:41 PM NZST (7:41 AM UTC). Blue Canyon Technologies, the company that built the 6U CubeSat and integrated the Jet Propulsion Lab’s Thermal Infrared Spectrometer, has nearly finished the satellite In-Orbit Checkout (IOC). The webcast of the launch can be found at https://www.youtube.com/live/m7nYAJ4dZP4
This work is supported by NASA.
Rocket Lab successfully launched the second of two PREFIRE satellites from Mahia, New Zealand at 3:15 pm NZST (3:15 am UTC).
Read moreRocket Lab has scheduled the second attempt at the #2 (and final) PREFIRE launch for June 5, 2024 at 03:13 am UTC! That is June 04, 2024 at 10:13 pm Central time in North America.
Read moreRocket Lab successfully launched the first of two PREFIRE satellites from Mahia, New Zealand at 7:41 pm NZST (7:41 am UTC).
Read moreCourtesy of Rocket Lab, we have some photos to share of the PREFIRE CubeSats being carefully attached to their Electron rockets! Another highlight for today is Radio New Zealand's short interview with Tristan L'Ecuyer, the PREFIRE Principal Investigator (PI).
Read moreIt is late autumn at the Rocket Lab launch complex in New Zealand, and forecasts of unsuitable weather have delayed the first PREFIRE CubeSat launch until May 25, 2024 at 7:28 am UTC. While you are waiting, enjoy a new mission overview video! It includes realistic animations that show the way the CubeSat solar panels will deploy, the view of Earth that our spectrometer will have, and why two CubeSats are better than one.
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