This Saturday, June 13, 2020 was marked by three rocket launches, at different locations on the Blue Planet. As mentioned in the previous article, SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 and its Starlink-9 payload, 58 satellites accompanied by 3 Planet's SkySat, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. But they weren't the only ones who wanted to reach space this Saturday.
The privately owned New Zealand company Rocket Lab successfully launched its 12th Electron rocket. The launch of the "Don't Stop Me Now" mission took place at 05:12 UTC from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand . Under the launcher's bonnet, a military satellite entrusted by the US Air Force (USAF), and its department the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The satellite was successfully placed into a polar orbit a few minutes after launch. This military satellite increases the intelligence capability of the Space Force, the new space department of the US Army. 
Picture of the Rocket Lab team in its assembly facility.
Since its creation in June 2006, Rocket Lab has successfully sent 53 satellites into low orbit.
Review the launch on Saturday, June 13, 2020 : 
In another launch this Saturday, Japan's first privately-owned aerospace company Interstellar Technologies Inc. attempted a test flight with its prototype MOMO F5 rocket from Taiki Aerospace Research Field in Taiki Hokkaido, Japan. Everything went according to plan until the sudden loss of control of the rocket 1 minute 7 seconds after it left the launch pad. The uncontrollable MOMO F5 broke apart in the air before falling into several pieces in the Pacific Ocean. The young company Interstellar Technologies Inc., founded in 2017 by Takafumi Horie, has a bright future ahead of it. The rocket design process is full of failures before it reaches success. This is the price to pay for access to space, but the ultimate reward is even greater. To be continued...
Review the MOMO F5 launch attempt : WM
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWilliam Mahe (WM), books and news author, passionate about the Universe, Science and technologies, university graduate from the Paris - Meudon Observatory in Astronomy and Celestial Mechanic. President of the SPETspace STEAM Society and Publishing Director of the SPETspace News. He is also a Harley Davidson and Honda motorcycles lover. Archives
July 2020
Categories |
RSS Feed
Services |
Company |
|
