StriX-α (The Owl's Night Begins)

StriX-α (The Owl’s Night Begins)

• Type: Earth Science
• Orbit: Sun-Synchronous Orbit
• Launch Cost: $6,000,000

StriX-α is a demonstration mission for Japanese company Synspective which plans to deploy a constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites.

For this mission, Rocket Lab will utilize a custom expanded fairing to encompass Synspective’s wide-body satellite – the first use of the expanded fairing options that Rocket Lab recently introduced.

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A

Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A has witnessed the launch of 26 rockets, including 26 orbital launch attempts, while Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand, has been the site for 42 rocket launches.

Rocket Lab Electron

Electron is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle (with an optional third stage) developed by the American aerospace company Rocket Lab. Electron is a small-lift launch vehicle designed to launch small satellites and cubesats to sun-synchronous orbit and low earth orbit. The Electron is the first orbital class rocket to use electric-pump-fed engines, powered by the 9 Rutherford engines on the first stage. It is also used as a suborbital testbed (called HASTE) for hypersonics research.

Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab is an American aerospace manufacturer with a wholly owned New Zealand subsidiary. The company develops lightweight, cost-effective commercial rocket launch services. The Electron Program was founded on the premise that small payloads such as CubeSats require dedicated small launch vehicles and flexibility not currently offered by traditional rocket systems. Its rocket, the Electron, is a light-weight rocket and is now operating commercially. The company is also producing a variety of spacecrafts and spacecrafts components.