Category: Venture Class Launch Services

NASA’s ELaNa 43 CubeSats to Launch on Firefly’s Alpha Rocket

Image of Technicians from the University of Maine prepare CubeSat MESAT-1 for integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Monday, April 22, 2024. MESAT-1, along with seven other payloads, will be integrated into a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket for NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
Technicians from the University of Maine prepare CubeSat MESAT-1 for integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Monday, April 22, 2024. MESAT-1, along with seven other payloads, will be integrated into a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket for NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract. Photo credit: NASA

NASA and Firefly Aerospace are targeting no earlier than Wednesday, June 26, for the launch of eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) 43. The 30-minute launch window will open at 9 p.m. PDT on June 26 (12 a.m. EDT on June 27).

Firefly Aerospace’s “Noise of Summer” will launch on an Alpha rocket from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The CubeSats flying on ELaNa 43 are:

      • CatSat – University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
      • KUbe-Sat-1 – University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
      • MESAT1 – University of Maine, Orono, Maine
      • R5-S4 – NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
      • R5-S2-2.0 – NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
      • SOC-i – University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
      • TechEdSat-11 – NASA Ames Research Center
      • Serenity – Teachers in Space

Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected under NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020. The venture-class contracts illustrate how NASA offers opportunities for new launch providers to grow the commercial industry at all levels, which will result in cost-effective competition for NASA missions in the future.

Follow NASA’s Small Satellite blog for launch updates.

TROPICS Launch Now Targeting May 25

NASA and Rocket Lab are now targeting no earlier than 12 a.m. EDT Thursday, May 25, (4 p.m. NZST) for the final launch of the agency’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission due to unfavorable weather conditions. Rocket Lab will continue to assess the weather, and provide updates.

The pair of spacecraft remain healthy and ready for launch on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand.

This launch is the second of two planned launches, each sending a pair of shoebox-sized satellites to low Earth orbit to make more frequent observations of tropical cyclones, which includes hurricanes and typhoons. TROPICS will provide data on temperature, precipitation, water vapor, and clouds by measuring microwave frequencies, providing insight into storm formation and intensification. The data will help scientists better understand the processes that effect these high-impact storms, ultimately leading to improved modeling and prediction.

Rocket Lab will provide live coverage beginning approximately 20 minutes before launch. Coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, the agency’s website, and Rocket Lab’s website. Coverage will begin around 11:40 p.m. EDT on May 24.

Follow launch updates on NASA’s Small Satellite Missions blog and stay connected with the mission on social media.

Twitter: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth, @NASAGoddard, @NASA, @RocketLab
Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, RocketLabUSA
nstagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @RocketLabUSA

Weather Delays TROPICS Launch

NASA and Rocket Lab are now targeting no earlier than 1:00 a.m. EDT Tuesday, May 23, (5:00 p.m. NZST) for the launch of a pair of storm tracking CubeSats due to unfavorable weather conditions. TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) remains healthy and ready for launch on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand. Originally, Rocket Lab was targeting no earlier than 1:30 a.m. EDT (5:30 p.m. NZST) Monday, May 22, for the launch.

Rocket Lab will continue to assess the weather as it evolves.

This launch is the second of two planned launches, each sending a pair of shoebox-sized satellites to low Earth orbit to make more frequent observations of tropical cyclones, which includes hurricanes and typhoons. TROPICS will provide data on temperature, precipitation, water vapor, and clouds by measuring microwave frequencies, providing insight into storm formation and intensification. The data will help scientists better understand the processes that effect these high-impact storms, ultimately leading to improved modeling and prediction.

Rocket Lab will provide live coverage beginning approximately 20 minutes before launch. Coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, the agency’s website, and Rocket Lab’s website. Coverage will begin at around 12:40 a.m. EDT on May 23.

Follow launch updates on NASA’s Small Satellite Missions blog and stay connected with the mission on social media.

Twitter: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth, @NASAGoddard, @NASA, @RocketLab
Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, RocketLabUSA
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @RocketLabUSA

TROPICS Launch Date Set

NASA and Rocket Lab are targeting no earlier than 1:30 a.m. EDT (5:30 p.m. NZST) Monday, May 22, for the launch of the agency’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission, on an Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand.

The launch will place a pair of CubeSats in low Earth orbit, and they will join another pair of TROPICS satellites that made it to orbit last week after launching on an Electron rocket from New Zealand. Together the four satellites will orbit in two equally spaced orbital planes, which will distribute them for optimal coverage over the tropics. The orbiting TROPICS constellation of satellites will study the formation and development of tropical cyclones, known as hurricanes in the Atlantic and typhoons in the West Pacific, making observations of temperature, precipitation, water vapor, and cloud ice more often than what is possible with current weather satellites. They they will join the TROPICS Pathfinder satellite, in orbit since its launch in June of 2021.

Follow launch updates on NASA’s Small Satellite Missions blog and stay connected with the mission on social media.

Twitter: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth,  @NASAGoddard, @NASA, @RocketLab
Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, RocketLabUSA
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @RocketLabUSA

Signal Acquired!

Team members successfully sent commands to the first CubeSat at 1:48 a.m. EDT, May 8. Subsequently, they established communications with the second CubeSat at 6:31 a.m. EDT. Read the NASA release here.

For imagery of this mission, please check here.

Follow launch updates on this blog and stay connected with the mission on social media.

Twitter: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth, @NASAKennedy, @NASA, @RocketLab

Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, RocketLabUSA

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @RocketLabUSA

Working Toward Signal Acquisition

Two TROPICS CubeSats successfully deployed from a Rocket Lab Electron rocket after launch.

The team is working toward signal acquisition from the pair of TROPICS CubeSats. NASA will continue to assess data from periodic pass opportunities. It is not unexpected for CubeSats to take some time to establish communications. We will provide confirmation when signal is acquired.

The second pair of TROPICS CubeSats is planned to launch aboard another Rocket Lab Electron rocket, named Coming To A Storm Near You, in about two weeks from Launch Complex 1 at Māhia, New Zealand.

Follow launch updates on this blog and stay connected with the mission on social media. This concludes our coverage of this launch.

Twitter: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth, @NASAKennedy, @NASA, @RocketLab

Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, RocketLabUSA

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @RocketLabUSA

TROPICS CubeSats Expected to Have Deployed

NASA’s TROPICS CubeSats are expected to have deployed from the Rocket Lab’s Electron kick stage. The two CubeSats will reach low-Earth orbit to begin their mission.

Each of the CubeSats was designed to last approximately two years, but analysis, lifetime testing of key parts, and on-orbit experiences with similar hardware could help the satellites surpass their design lifetime.

Electron’s Second Stage Separates

The second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron has cut off and separated from the payload kick stage. Soon, the kick stage engine will ignite and burn for about three minutes before it cuts off.

Electron Performs Battery Hot Swap

The Electron rocket has successfully completed the battery hot swap, switching power between batteries. The next milestone is second stage separation in about three minutes.