Rocket Lab – Page 2 – Fusion Nepal

Humanity Star Rocket Lab Rockets Science Space

The Humanity Star satellite is officially dead, months earlier than expected

sudshr47 March 22, 2018

Bye, bye, Humanity Star. We hardly knew you.

On Thursday, Rocket Lab’s Humanity Star satellite — effectively a disco ball flying through a low orbit around Earth — re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, burning up in the process.

According to U.S. Strategic Command, the satellite, which was designed to occasionally flash, becoming the brightest object in the night sky, de-orbited at about 9:30 a.m. ET.

The Humanity Star’s life was short.

The satellite was launched as a secret payload aboard one of Rocket Lab’s Electron launchers in January. It was initially expected to orbit the planet for about 9 months, but it didn’t quite pan out that way. Read more…

More about Space, Science, Rockets, Rocket Lab, and Humanity Star

BFR Blue Origin Business Elon Musk Gps hyperloop OneWeb President Relativity Space Rocket Lab space tourism spaceflight Spacex SpinLaunch TC transport United States Virgin Orbit

SpaceX is making big money moves

sudshr47 March 16, 2018

Planning a mars mission, a global telecommunications network for inexpensive internet service, and creating an interplanetary hedge against world war three isn’t cheap, so it’s no wonder that SpaceX is closing on $500 million in new cash through a financing round led by Fidelity, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the round. Responding to clamoring […]

commercial spaceflight cubesat Electron New Zealand outer space Rocket Lab Satellite Space space tourism spaceflight Spacex Spire Global TC Transportation

Rocket Lab’s next launch vaults it into full commercial operation

sudshr47 March 14, 2018

Rocket launch startup Rocket Lab is moving from its initial testing phase into proper commercial operations with its next mission. The company’s past two launches, “It’s a Test” and “Still Testing” were (you guessed it) primarily tests of its Electron launch craft vehicle and launch process, but its next mission, dubbed “It’s Business Time” (kudos […]

Rocket Lab Satellites Science Space Space Exploration

A satellite secretly launched by a little rocket is expected to be ‘the brightest thing in the night sky’

sudshr47 January 24, 2018

This was unexpected.
On Wednesday, the New Zealand rocket company Rocket Lab announced that it launched a secret satellite to space aboard the test flight of its Electron rocket over the weekend.
That satellite, known as the Humanity Star…

commercial spaceflight outer space Rocket Lab Science Space space tourism spaceflight TC Transportation

Rocket Lab successfully launches second Electron booster test flight

sudshr47 January 22, 2018

Rocket Lab is hoping to fill a niche for small payload orbital launches with its house-built Electron rocket and private launch facility – and now it’s one step closer to full commercial operations. The startup managed its second test flight (via Space) for its Electron booster – this time making it all the way to orbit, where it deployed some of its first ever customer… Read More

New Zealand Rocket Lab Science Space spaceflight

Space startup Rocket Lab successfully sent a rocket to orbit

sudshr47 January 22, 2018

On Sunday afternoon, New Zealand and U.S. spaceflight startup Rocket Lab successfully sent a second Electron rocket to space — and this time it reached orbit.

The rocket “Still Testing” launched from the company’s New Zealand North Island site on the Māhia peninsula at 2:43 p.m. NZDT (1:30 a.m. GMT/8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday).

“Still Testing” reached orbit and deployed customer payloads after eight and a half minutes from take-off.

On-board were three small commercial satellites: Dove Pioneer, an earth imaging satellite from Planet Labs, and two for weather and ship tracking company Spire. Read more…

More about Space, Science, Spaceflight, New Zealand, and Rocket Lab