27.03.2025
A Rocket Lab Electron lifts off March 26 (U.S. time) carrying eight OroraTech satellites. Credit: Rocket Lab
WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab launched eight satellites for a German company that is expanding its constellation to detect and track wildfires.
An Electron rocket lifted off from Pad B of Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 11:30 a.m. Eastern March 26. The rocket completed deployment its payload of eight cubesats for OroraTech about 55 minutes later, placing them into sun-synchronous orbits at an altitude of 550 kilometers.
Rocket Lab announced in January it signed a contract with OroraTech for the launch, which the companies said at the time would take place in “just a few weeks.” The 8U cubesats were built by Spire as part of its space services business line.
“This launch is yet another showcase of the exceptional qualities of Electron and the Rocket Lab team: a quick and streamlined turnaround to get this important mission in space, precise deployment for optimal global wildfire monitoring, and responsive service that perfectly meets customer requirements,” Peter Beck, chief executive of Rocket Lab, said in a post-launch statement.
OroraTech had launched three satellites before this mission, using data from those satellites as well as from government spacecraft to detect and track wildfires. The new satellites are designed to fill a gap in coverage in the afternoon, a peak time for wildfire formation and spread.
The company raised 25 million euros ($27 million) in October 2024 to support the launch of both this set of eight satellites as well as a second set of eight planned for later this year. OroraTech also plans to use the funding to enhance its data modeling capabilities and expand its presence in North America.
OroraTech, partnered with Spire Canada, won a contract worth $72 million Canadian ($50.5 million) Feb. 7 from the Canadian Space Agency to build a cubesat constellation called WildFireSat. Those satellites will be similar to the ones launched on this mission, using sensors developed by OroraTech in a bus built by Spire.
This was the fifth Electron launch this year and the third in less than two weeks, after launches for Japanese radar imaging company iQPS March 14 and French Internet-of-things connectivity company Kinéis March 17. Rocket Lab said in an earnings call in February that it is planning more than 20 Electron launches this year, including of the HASTE suborbital version of the rocket.
Quelle: SN
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Rocket Lab Successfully Launches Mission for Global Wildfire Detection Company OroraTech
Mahia, New Zealand. March 27, 2025 – Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today successfully launched its latest mission within four months of contract signing for Germany-based global wildfire and detection company OroraTech.
The ‘Finding Hot Wildfires Near You’ mission lifted-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Pad B, in Mahia, New Zealand at 4:30 am on 26 March NZDT (15:30 UTC), successfully deploying eight satellites to a 550 km circular low Earth orbit. The mission was Rocket Lab’s fifth launch of 2025 and 63rd launch overall, bringing the total count of satellites deployed by Electron to 224. Twenty-one of those satellites have been deployed in Q1 2025 alone: a testament to Rocket Lab’s global leadership in dedicated small launch. ‘Finding Hot Wildfires Near You’ launched within four months since contract signing in order to meet the time-sensitive requirements of OroraTech’s wildfire detection mission.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck said: “This launch is yet another showcase of the exceptional qualities of Electron and the Rocket Lab team: a quick and streamlined turnaround to get this important mission in space, precise deployment for optimal global wildfire monitoring, and responsive service that perfectly meets customer requirements. I'm proud of the team's consistent performance as we aim for another record-breaking year in launch with Electron.”
‘Finding Hot Wildfires Near You’ marked a significant expansion of OroraTech’s constellation, enhancing their global capabilities and connectivity with a network of advanced thermal sensors. This development enables continuous real-time monitoring of wildfires and hotspots, providing critical foresight and support to first responders, governments, and those invested in protecting people, infrastructure, the economy, and the environment.
‘Finding Hot Wildfires Near You’ is the third Electron launch completed within two weeks from Launch Complex 1, showcasing the Company’s increased launch cadence as Rocket Lab targets 20+ Electron launches in 2025. Upcoming missions include the next launches in multi-launch contracts to build constellations in space for Synspective, iQPS, and BlackSky, and launches of Rocket Lab’s Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) for hypersonic technology advancement from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 in Virginia.
Quelle: Rocket Lab