Rocket Lab's Electron rocket launched the Tsukuyomi-1 from New Zealand. The "The Moon God Awakens" mission was Rocket Lab's since an earlier failure this year.
Credit: Rocket Lab
Credit: Rocket Lab
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TechTranscript
00:00 [ Silence ]
00:05 >> 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
00:16 [ Sound Effects ]
00:18 >> Liftoff.
00:20 [ Sound Effects ]
00:47 >> Electron has lifted off from launch complex 1 and we are 34 seconds into our flight.
00:53 With Electron now clear of the pads, soon we will approach max Q, or maximum aerodynamic pressure,
00:59 the moment of the most amount of stress against the rocket.
01:02 So let's listen in for the call from mission control that Electron has passed max Q.
01:07 [ Sound Effects ]
01:12 >> Vehicle supersonic approaching max Q.
01:15 [ Sound Effects ]
01:18 >> High voltage discharge nominal.
01:20 [ Sound Effects ]
01:25 >> Clear at max Q.
01:29 >> And there you have it.
01:30 Electron has cleared max Q, a beautiful and nominal mission so far,
01:35 now up 15 kilometers in altitude as the rocket reaches speeds of more than 2,100 kilometers.
01:41 Next up are three mission milestones that happen in quick succession.
01:45 First up we have MECO, or main engine cutoff.
01:48 This is when all nine Rutherford engines on the first stage throttle down and then shut off completely.
01:53 Very quickly after that we have the separation of the first and second stages
01:57 and you'll see that main booster tank fall away from Electron's second stage.
02:01 We then have the ignition of the single Rutherford engine on Electron's second stage,
02:06 excuse me, as the mission continues to orbit.
02:09 Those calls should be coming up from our operators and mission control very shortly.
02:13 [ Sound Effects ]
02:26 >> Stage one propulsion holding nominal.
02:28 Standby for MECO in roughly 30 seconds.
02:30 [ Sound Effects ]
02:38 >> Fifteen seconds to MECO.
02:42 Entered burnout detect mode.
02:45 [ Sound Effects ]
02:55 >> MECO confirmed.
02:57 [ Sound Effects ]
03:02 >> Stage separation successful.
03:04 >> Stage two ignition confirmed.
03:06 [ Applause ]
03:15 >> As you can probably tell from that applause, we have had a successful MECO stage separation
03:21 and second stage engine start for Electron.
03:24 Up next will be the fairing jettison where the two halves of Electron's protective fairing split
03:29 and fall away from the vehicle to expose IQPS's satellite to space in preparation for payload deployment.
03:36 And we might see those two halves on screen too as we clear that next milestone.
03:40 [ Pause ]
03:51 >> Fairing jettison succeeded.
03:53 >> That was them there on your screen.
03:55 Electron's fairing halves have fallen away as planned.
03:59 At three minutes and 42 seconds into the mission, the single Rutherford engine on Electron's second stage
04:04 continues to burn bright as we make our way to orbit.
04:08 We have a new view of the engine's nozzle that includes a nitrogen bottle that you can see on the top left of your screen
04:15 which has been introduced as part of an update to the second stage system.
04:19 This is providing pressurized gas to the enclosure covering the second stage electrical system,
04:25 helping to minimize the chances of electrical arcs.
04:28 >> Soon we'll reach a mission milestone unique to Electron, the battery hot swap.
04:33 Electron's fuel pumps are battery powered and once we deplete the first set of batteries,
04:37 they're of no use to us anymore.
04:39 And so we swap them out with a fresh set, ejecting the depleted ones so that they don't hitch a ride to orbit.
04:44 That milestone should be coming up at around six minutes and 43 seconds into the mission,
04:49 and so we have a while to wait for that milestone just yet.
04:57 >> We are now four minutes and 42 seconds into flight and well on our way to orbit.
05:02 So far we have successfully lifted off, cleared the pad and passed through Max Q,
05:06 as well as had main engine cutoff and stage separation.
05:10 Now attached to Electron's second stage is the kick stage where you can see IQPS's satellite right there,
05:16 which is poised for deployment to a 575 kilometer orbit.
05:20 If you take a look at the top graph on the right there,
05:23 you can see that we have about 61 percent of propellant remaining,
05:27 which will take us through to about T plus nine and a half minutes
05:31 where we will have engine shutdown and kick stage separation.
05:38 >> Forty seconds remaining, guidance is nominal.
05:46 >> The stage two Rutherford engine continues to perform nominally
05:49 and Electron is climbing steadily to its target apogee of 575 kilometers above Earth.
05:55 And what a beautiful view we have so far.
05:58 The IQPS payload atop the kick stage is less than an hour away from its home in orbit.
06:13 >> Swaddling down.
06:18 HVB discharge nominal.
06:19 >> As we approach battery hot swap in the next 30 seconds or so,
06:22 keep your eyes peeled because sometimes you can catch a glimpse of these battery packs falling away.
06:27 Reminder that it will look a little different than usual due to the remedial work done on the stage two power pack.
06:33 Let's listen in for the call out for mission control.
06:51 >> Hot swap successful.
06:56 >> That was the call that battery hot swap is confirmed and the mission is proceeding as planned.
07:01 In about three minutes, Electron's second stage will experience SECO or second engine cutoff.
07:07 Now much like main engine cutoff, the stage two Rutherford will throttle down
07:11 before the kick stage separates as it continues on to payload deployment.
07:36 >> Speed battery discharge holding nominal.
07:41 >> All right.
07:42 A quick check in on the dials at T plus 7 minutes and 28 seconds.
07:46 Electron is traveling at a speed of over 17,000 kilometers per hour
07:50 and approaching an altitude of about 242 kilometers,
07:54 which with some quick maths brings us another 300 or so kilometers to go in this mission.
08:00 Now after we reach that target, we will have a coast phase of about 45 minutes
08:05 as the kick stage scoots around to the other side of Earth and back into position ready for payload deployment.
08:13 >> Stage two propulsion still holding nominal.
08:21 >> The team and mission control are closely monitoring the stage two burn
08:25 as we get closer and closer to SECO or second engine cutoff.
08:29 Just a minute to go until that milestone with Electron and the IQPS payload remaining healthy.
08:34 Reminder that this version of Rutherford is designed for the vacuum of space.
08:38 So the glowing nozzle you see on your screen there is much larger than the sea level variant of the engine used on stage one.
08:44 This larger nozzle extracts more energy from the exhaust as it expands, increasing the performance of the engine.
09:08 >> Entered burn out attack mode.
09:16 >> Gain is at some tolerance, 25 seconds remaining.
09:21 >> As we mentioned before, one of the final milestones coming up for this mission is SECO.
09:25 Now we will see the second stage engine throttle down ahead of shutoff.
09:29 Then the kick stage, which the satellite is attached to, will separate and begin its coast phase.
09:34 So let's listen in to mission control for the calls.
09:44 >> SECO confirmed.
10:00 >> And with that, the Rutherford engine on Electron's second stage has successfully shut down,
10:05 and stage two and the kick stage have cleanly separated.