Rocket Lab - Flight #44 'On Closer Inspection' (ADRAS-J (Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan))
Electron from Māhia LC-1B
Rocket Lab: "MISSION SUCCESS! ADRAS-J has been successfully deployed to orbit by Electron’s Kick Stage. Congratulations to the team at @Astroscale_HQ."
HASTE = Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron
"Rocket Lab’s new HASTE launch vehicle, derived from the Electron rocket, will provide high-cadence suborbital flight test opportunities to advance hypersonic system technology development"
Further to #SpaceNews which seems to be bubbling today, I see #RocketLab has won a half-billion-dollar USgov contract to build and launch 18 satellites. Their shares have popped 25% or so on the news.
This video is super awesome because it shows how sounds needs air. For the first few seconds a hum can be heard because th interstage is pressurised. At 10 seconds, air is vented and everything gets quiet. You can hear the springs because they pass sound through the metal to the camera. After ignition you can hear the exhaust only when it's blowing straight at the camera and producing gas that carries its sound.
Rocket Lab is planning its first reflight of a previously flown booster!
Rocket Lab Press Release:
Rocket Lab Returns Previously Flown Electron to Production Line in Preparation for First Reflight
"The carbon composite first stage tank from the Electron rocket, successfully launched and recovered in January this year, has entered back into the standard Electron production line to undergo final acceptance testing and qualification ahead of reflight."