On June 26 and 28, Rocket Lab launched two Electron rockets from New Zealand, thereby breaking its own record. The missions were separated by less than 48 hours.
During its first launch, the Electron rocket put four satellites into orbit. Three of them are HawkEye 360 vehicles belonging to Cluster 12. They are designed for triangulating radio frequency signal sources around the world. The fourth satellite, Kestrel-0A, is an experimental unit.
Just 38 hours later, Rocket Lab carried out another Electron launch. It was also performed from the Mahia Spaceport in New Zealand. This is the shortest interval between two orbital launches in the company’s history. Rocket Lab has not disclosed any details about the payload for this mission, except for its orbit, stating that it is intended for a confidential customer. This customer signed a contract for this launch less than four months ago, as well as for a second mission planned before the end of the year.
Speculation about the identity of the customer focused on EchoStar. This company is deploying a group of small satellites called Lyra to provide Internet of Things services, launching two of them on Falcon 9 rockets earlier this year. The illustration of the satellite on the mission emblem for the Electron launch is similar to previously published illustrations of Lyra satellites.
“The future of space is built on proven performance, and Electron continues to deliver against a stacked launch manifest this year” said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab’s CEO, in a statement after the launch.
This was the fourth Electron launch in June. The company has already carried out 10 orbital missions this year. Previously, Rocket Lab management stated that it planned to conduct more than 20 launches in 2025.
Previously, we reported on how Rocket Lab was buying up companies in order to get military contracts.
According to Spacenews
