Monday, July 6, 2020

Rocket Lab Launch Fails, Payloads Lost

Long Beach-based satellite launch provider Rocket Lab had a catastrophic failure on its launch over the weekend, losing its 13th Electron mission 'Pics or It Didn't Happen', resulting in a complete loss of its satellite payloads. According to Rocket Lab, after a successful lift-off, first stage burn, and stage separation, it experienced "an anomaly" which resulted in the loss of the vehicle. The failure destroyed satellites destined for orbit owned by Spaceflight Inc., Canon Electronics Inc., Planet, and In-Space Missions. Rocket Lab has not yet determined what caused the failure, but said it would be working with the FAA to investigate what caused the issue, and hopes to be back on the launch pad as soon as possible.