Rocket Lab launches Capella Space SAR satellite

Rocket Lab launched a Capella Space radar imaging satellite Aug. 11 on a mission that illustrated the flexibility offered by, but also the challenges facing, small launch vehicles. The Electron lifted off from Pad B at Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 9:18 a.m. Eastern after a two-hour delay caused by ground winds and a ship in restricted waters offshore. The rocket’s kick stage deployed its payload, the Acadia-3 satellite, nearly 57 minutes later into a 615-kilometer orbit inclined at 53 degrees. More

(Source: SpaceNews - Aug 12)