Second PREFIRE Satellite Now in Orbit
Second PREFIRE Satellite Now in Orbit
Rocket Lab Completes Second of Two Launches for the NASA Program
The second of two Electron launches for NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) climate change-focused mission successfully launched late Tuesday (US eastern time), completing a turnaround of two launches within eleven days.
"Quickly deploying both satellites to orbit within eleven days of each other demonstrates our team’s skill and experience, allowing NASA to maximize PREFIRE’s time in space collecting important climate change data."
Peter Beck, Rocket Lab
‘PREFIRE and Ice’ lifted-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand at 3:15pm NZST on Wednesday June 5th, 2024, deploying the second of two satellites for the PREFIRE mission to a 525km (326 mile) orbit. The first mission, ‘Ready, Aim, PREFIRE’, was successfully launched days earlier on May 25th, 2024 from the same launch pad, demonstrating Rocket Lab’s ability to launch consistently and in quick succession to meet customer mission requirements.
With both satellites now in orbit, they will crisscross the Artic and Antarctic to study heat lost to space from the Earth’s polar regions. Heat loss measurements collected by the PREFIRE mission will help to improve climate and ice-loss models to better predict Earth’s ice, sea level, and weather changes. The mission is expected to operate for 10 months.
"Quickly deploying both satellites to orbit within eleven days of each other demonstrates our team’s skill and experience, allowing NASA to maximize PREFIRE’s time in space collecting important climate change data," said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck. "We’re a long-trusted launch partner for NASA’s biggest small satellite missions, and it’s a privilege to continue supporting innovative science missions like PREFIRE.”
Electron has now delivered 185 satellites to space across all its launches, with today’s mission being Rocket Lab’s 49th Electron launch overall and seventh mission of 2024. Electron remains the United States’ second-most frequently launched rocket annually and one of the most frequently launched rockets globally.
Details for Rocket Lab’s 50th Electron launch will be released in the coming days.