ELaNa XIX (миссия НАСА) – Electron – Mahia – 16.12.2018 06:33 UTC

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Rocket Lab‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 5 ч. назад

Next launch after #ItsBusinessTime? The NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) XIX mission. Payload integration starts this week at Rocket Lab HQ, Huntington Beach!

Peter Beck‏ @Peter_J_Beck 6 ч. назад

At HQ in Huntington Beach cleanroom getting ready for NASA ELaNa XIX payload integration this week!

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NASA Kennedy / KSC‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASAKennedy 5 ч. назад

A host of CubeSats, or small satellites, are undergoing the final stages of processing @RocketLab's facility in Huntington Beach, California, for @NASA's first mission dedicated solely to spacecraft of their size.

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http://spacenews.com/technical-issue-delays-next-rocket-lab-electron-launch/

Technical issue delays next Rocket Lab Electron launch
by Jeff Foust — April 17, 2018

COLORADO SPRINGS — Rocket Lab is postponing its next launch by a few weeks because of a technical problem, but the company says it is optimistic about its long-term prospects as demand for its small launch vehicle grows.

Спойлер

The company, headquartered in the United States but with launch operations in New Zealand, announced April 17 that it was postponing a launch of its Electron rocket scheduled for April 19 because of a problem detected in a wet dress rehearsal a few days earlier.

In an interview during the 34th Space Symposium here, Rocket Lab Chief Executive Peter Beck said that engineers detected "unusual behavior" in a motor controller for one of the nine engines in its first stage. "We want to take some time to review that data," he said on the decision to delay the launch.

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Rocket Lab is also gearing up for the next launch after that, which will carry a set of cubesats provided by NASA under a Venture Class Launch Services contract awarded in 2015. The cubesats were integrated last week at Rocket Lab's facility in California.

Beck said the company has worked well with NASA on that upcoming mission. "That Venture Class contracting vehicle that they put forward is just incredible," he said. "The oversight they've provided has been tremendously valuable for us."

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Rocket Lab plans to increase its launch rate this year to one launch a month, and then to one launch every two weeks in 2019. Beck said the company has seen strong interest from a variety of commercial and government customers, and expects to announce new launch contracts in the next few weeks.

That increased launch rate is helping the company's bottom line. Beck said he estimated that Rocket Lab will be cash-flow neutral by the middle of this year. "The business is looking in very good shape."

...

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 4 ч. назад

Rocket Lab integrates payloads for first ever NASA Venture Class Launch Services Mission.

Release:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35300.msg1814620#msg1814620 ...

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http://www.rocketlabusa.com/news/updates/rocket-lab-integrates-payloads-for-first-ever-nasa-venture-class-launch-services-mission/

Rocket Lab integrates payloads for first ever NASA Venture Class Launch Services Mission

Huntington Beach, California and Auckland, New Zealand April 25, 2018:

Rocket Lab and NASA have carried out the integration of the CubeSat payloads scheduled to launch on the Electron rocket in the first half of 2018 for NASA's first ever Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) mission. The flight will constitute the smallest class of dedicated launch services used by NASA and marks a significant milestone for Rocket Lab in providing such access to space for a NASA-sponsored mission of small satellites.

Спойлер

The launch is manifested with innovative research and development payloads from NASA and educational institutions that will conduct a wide variety of new, on-orbit science. Applications of the CubeSats booked on the mission include research such as measuring radiation in the Van Allen belts to understand their impact on spacecraft, through to monitoring space weather.

"We're incredibly excited to be launching NASA's first Venture Class mission," says Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck. "The VCLS contract by NASA's Launch Services Program is very forward-thinking and a direct response to the small satellite industry's changing needs for rapid and repeatable access to orbit. The oversight NASA has provided to us as part of this contract has been tremendously valuable for us."

Big ideas used to require big rockets, but thanks to the miniaturization of technology, the small satellites of today can conduct innovative science that helps us better understand the Earth and our universe. Before Rocket Lab's Electron vehicle, launch opportunities for small satellites were mostly limited to rideshare-type arrangements on large launch vehicles, flying only when space was available on NASA and other launches. This can be impractical for some small satellite payloads, as they are at the mercy of the primary payload's schedule and desired orbit. Rocket Lab's Electron is the only private, small launch vehicle currently flying to orbit and offering the dedicated flights tailored to these small payloads.

"Venture Class launches are about freeing small satellite payloads from the barriers they currently face in trying to access space on larger launch platforms as secondary payloads. It's fantastic to see NASA enabling this change and embracing private small launch vehicles like Electron," adds Mr. Beck.

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Ten CubeSats manifested on the mission are receiving their access to space through a NASA initiative called the CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) and are part of the 19th Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa-19. The program recognizes that CubeSats are playing an increasingly larger role in exploration, technology demonstration, scientific research and educational investigations. These miniature satellites provide a low-cost platform for both research and commercial applications, including planetary space exploration; Earth observation; Earth and space science; and developing precursor science instruments like laser communications, satellite-to-satellite communications and autonomous movement capabilities.

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The recent payload integration process, which took place at Rocket Lab USA's facility in Huntington Beach, California, involves conducting final spacecraft checks and preparations before the CubeSats are loaded into dispensers that protect the payloads during launch, then deploy them from the Electron vehicle once in low Earth orbit. The integrated payloads will be shipped to New Zealand for mating onto the Electron launch vehicle in coming weeks, before a launch from Rocket Lab's private orbital launch facility, Launch Complex 1.

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Small Satellites to Get their Own Ride to Space

Rocket Lab is preparing to launch the first venture class mission for NASA this summer. The company just completed processing the CubeSats for flight on the Electron rocket at its Huntington Beach facility. The company's launch pad, Launch Complex 1, is located on the southern tip of the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand.

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Peter Beck‏ @Peter_J_Beck 53 мин. назад

Finished the upper stage test today for the next flight following #ItsBusinessTime. NASA #ELaNaXIX


(video 0:04)

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http://www.rocketlabusa.com/news/updates/rocket-lab-to-launch-its-business-time-and-elana-xix-missions-weeks-apart/

Aug 06, 2018

Rocket Lab to launch It's Business Time and ELaNa XIX missions weeks apart

Rocket Lab back to the pad with rapid, consecutive launches

Rocket Lab to launch It's Business Time and ELaNa XIX missions weeks apart

Rocket Lab, a US orbital launch provider for the small satellite industry, has confirmed it will launch two Electron rockets just weeks apart in late 2018.

Rocket Lab's It's Business Time mission will launch in November, with the ELaNa XIX mission for NASA to follow soon after in December. Both missions will launch from Rocket Lab's private orbital launch pad in New Zealand, Launch Complex-1.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck, says the speedy turnaround between launches is possible thanks to designing the Electron rocket for rapid manufacture, as well as Launch Complex-1's ability to process and launch vehicles quickly.

"This year our team focused on scaling up production to churn out Electron rockets at a rate of one per month. Now that we're hitting that production rate, we're working to get them launched at the same frequency by the end of this year, and increasing cadence into 2019," he said.

"It's an incredibly exciting time for the small satellite industry. Everyone on the planet will benefit from easier access to orbit in terms of innovation, research and exploration, and we're excited to be the team enabling that."

...

After It's Business Time, the next Electron off the pad will be NASA's 19th Educational Launch of Nanosatellites mission, or ELaNa-XIX. The launch is manifested with innovative research and development payloads from NASA and educational institutions that will conduct a wide variety of new, on-orbit science. Applications of the CubeSats booked on the mission include research such as measuring radiation in the Van Allen belts to understand their impact on spacecraft, through to monitoring space weather. The mission is also NASA's first ever Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) mission, constituting the smallest class of dedicated launch services used by NASA. It marks a significant milestone for Rocket Lab in providing such access to space for a NASA-sponsored mission of small satellites.

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 26 мин. назад

ARTICLE: Rocket Lab to return in November and immediately follow up with NASA launch in December -

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/08/rocket-lab-return-november-follow-nasa-launch/ ...

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Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 41 мин. назад

Holmes: we've developed a concept called ELROI that serves as a "license plate" for smallsats: optical emitter with milliwatt average power, pulsing a pattern that can be observed by telescopes on ground to ID them. #smallsat

36 мин. назад

Holmes: flying a prototype of this on a cubesat launching in December on NASA's Rocket Lab Electron mission. #smallsat

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https://www.nasa.gov/feature/rocket-lab-to-launch-elana-xix-mission

Aug. 16, 2018

Rocket Lab to Launch ELaNa XIX Mission

Rocket Lab, a U.S. orbital launch provider for the small satellite industry, has confirmed it will target the launch of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellites(ELaNa) XIX mission for December from the company's private orbital launch pad in New Zealand, Launch Complex-1. The mission will be the first launch for NASA's Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS), constituting the smallest class of dedicated launch services used by the agency. It will mark a significant milestone in providing such access to space for a NASA-sponsored mission of small satellites.

ELaNa-XIX is NASA's 19th mission under the NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative. It is manifested with innovative research and development payloads from NASA and educational institutions that will conduct a wide variety of new, on-orbit science and technology demonstrations. CubeSats on this mission include research measuring radiation in the Van Allen belts to understand their impact on spacecraft, and demonstrating new technologies such as a solar sail blade and a compact robotic manipulator, among others. Education institutions and nonprofit organizations interested in joining the adventure and challenge of space through ELaNa missions can apply for a flight opportunity through the CubeSat Launch Initiative.

Learn more about NASA's Venture Class here: 

Last Updated: Aug. 16, 2018
Editor: Anna Heiney

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Peter Beck‏ @Peter_J_Beck 11:24 - 20 нояб. 2018 г.

Stage one is tested and ready to fly for our December ELaNa 19 mission for NASA! Electron is headed to the pad next week for checkouts.

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Rocket Lab‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 11:50 - 20 нояб. 2018 г.

The final stage test for our upcoming @NASA_LSP #ELaNa19 mission is complete (and what a thing of beauty!) Electron is now shipping to LC-1, ready for launch in December.

Video (0:18 )

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Peter Beck‏ @Peter_J_Beck 22:25 - 29 нояб. 2018 г.

The next flight (NASA) is at the launch site. Roll out next week for pre flight checks on the pad.

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https://www.nasa.gov/content/upcoming-elana-cubesat-launches

ELaNa XIX
Date: NET December 11, 2018
Mission: Rocket Lab Flight 4, Electron, Mahia, New Zealand
10 CubeSat Missions scheduled to be deployed

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• ALBUS – NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio
• CeREs – NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
• CHOMPTT – University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
• CubeSail – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
• DaVinci – North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, Rathdrum, Idaho
• ISX – SRI International/ California Polytechnic University, Menlo Park, California
• NMTSat – New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico
• RSat – United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland
• Shields-1 – NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
• STF-1 – West Virginia University / NASA IV&V, Morgantown, West Virginia
  

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Venture Class Rockets: First Class Flights for CubeSats

NASAKennedy

Опубликовано: 3 дек. 2018 г.

For years, tiny CubeSat satellites could only fly into space as hitchhikers, riding along with larger, primary payloads. Now, thanks to Venture Class Launch Services, these small packages of big science are getting their own rides into space on dedicated rockets -- and on their own terms. Rocket Lab USA of Huntington Beach, California, and Virgin Orbit of Long Beach, California, are the two companies poised to propel CubeSats from coach class to first class.

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http://www.rocketlabusa.com/news/updates/rocket-lab-prepares-to-launch-historic-small-satellite-mission-for-nasa/

Rocket Lab prepares to launch historic CubeSat mission for NASA

Rocket Lab prepares to launch historic CubeSat mission for NASA

Huntington Beach, California – December 4, 2018 – US small satellite launch company Rocket Lab is gearing up for the company's third orbital launch of the year, the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa)-19 mission for NASA. The launch is a significant moment for the small satellite industry, as it's the first time NASA CubeSats will enjoy a dedicated ride to orbit on a commercial launch vehicle, thanks to NASA's forward-leaning Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) initiative. VCLS is managed by NASA's Launch Services Program headquartered at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A nine-day launch window for the ELaNa-19 mission will open between 13 – 21 December 2018, UTC. Within this window, lift-off is scheduled between 04:00 and 08:00 UTC from Rocket Lab's private orbital launch site, Launch Complex 1, on New Zealand's Māhia Peninsula.

The mission will see Rocket Lab's Electron vehicle loft multiple CubeSats to low Earth orbit for NASA. Electron will carry approximately 172 pounds (78 kg) of payload, which will be deployed to a 500km circular orbit at an 85-degree inclination by Rocket Lab's kick stage.

"It is an honor and privilege to launch NASA payloads on Electron, and to be the first small satellite launcher to fly under a NASA Venture Class Launch Services contract," said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck. "Reaching orbit twice already this year has made 2018 a banner year for Rocket Lab. Capping it off with our first launch for NASA is a tremendous way to celebrate the new era of improved access to orbit for small satellites."

Until now, launch opportunities for small satellites have mostly been limited to rideshare-type arrangements, flying only when space is available on large launch vehicles. As NASA's first VCLS mission to fly, the ELaNa-19 mission on Electron represents a new approach to small satellite launch. VCLS contracts constitute the smallest class of launch services used by NASA and have been created to foster commercial launch services dedicated to transporting smaller payloads to orbit. The VCLS contract is a direct response from NASA to the small satellite industry's changing needs for rapid and repeatable access to orbit.

"The NASA Venture Class Launch Service contract was designed from the ground up to be an innovative way for NASA to work and encourage new launch companies to come to the market and enable a future class of rockets for the growing small satellite market. Matching ELaNa-19 with the Electron rocket gives these advanced scientific and educational satellites first-class tickets to space while providing valuable insight for potential NASA missions in the future," said Justin Treptow NASA ELaNa-19 Mission Manager.

Many of the 10 ELaNa-19 CubeSats manifested on the mission are receiving their access to space through a NASA initiative called the CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI). CSLI enables the launch of CubeSat projects designed, built and operated by students, teachers and faculty, as well as, NASA Centers and programs, and nonprofit organizations. The program recognizes that CubeSats are playing an increasingly significant role in exploration, technology demonstration, scientific research and educational investigations. These small satellites provide a low-cost platform for both research and technology applications, including planetary space exploration; Earth observation; Earth and space science; and developing precursor science instruments like laser communications, satellite-to-satellite communications and autonomous movement capabilities.

While the mission itself is called ELaNa-19, Rocket Lab also names each Electron launch vehicle individually. Previous Rocket Lab designations 'It's a Test', 'Still Testing' and 'It's Business Time' doubled as both mission and vehicle names. For the ELaNa-19 mission, the Electron launch vehicle is named 'This One's For Pickering' in honor of NZ-born scientist and former Director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), Sir William Pickering. For 22 years, Sir William headed JPL and led the team that developed the first US satellite, Explorer I, launched in 1958.

Live coverage of the ELaNa-19 launch will be available on Rocket Lab's website at www.rocketalbusa/live-stream. For real-time updates on launch day, follow Rocket Lab on Twitter @RocketLab

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Rocket Lab‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 3 ч. назад

A nine-day launch window for the ELaNa-19 mission opens 13 – 21 December 2018, UTC. Lift-off from Launch Complex 1 is scheduled between:
04:00 - 08:00 UTC (13 Dec)
17:00 - 21:00 NZDT (13 Dec)
20:00 - 00:00 PST (12/13 Dec)
23:00 - 03:00 EST (12/13 Dec)

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Rocket Lab‏Подлинная учетная запись @RocketLab 3 ч. назад

While the mission is named ELaNa-19, this Electron itself is named 'This One's For Pickering' after NZ-born scientist and former Director of NASA JPL, Sir William Pickering.For 22 years, Sir William headed JPL, and he led the team that developed the first US satellite, Explorer I

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