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Rocket Lab launches 34 satellites, Attempt First Mid-Air Helicopter Capture

A Light-Class rocket will take off from Mahia Peninsula

There And Back Again mission infographic by S.I and HDE

May 02, 2022 Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: $RKLB) The “There And Back Again” Launching the Company's Electron Rocket from the Pad 1A platform at Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula, The mission will deploy 34 satellites to a sun-synchronous orbit for a variety of customers including Alba Orbital, Astrix Astronautics, Aurora Propulsion Technologies, E-Space, Spaceflight Inc., and Unseenlabs, and bring the total number of satellites launched by Electron to 146.


Payload Manifest:


  • BRO-6, a 6U cubesat from France, by UnseenLabs

  • AuroraSat-1, 1.5U cubesat from Finland by AuroraPT

  • TRSI-2 and 3, two pocketcube 1p satellites from Germany developed by My Radar

  • MyRadar-1, pocketcube 1p from Germany developed by My Radar

  • Unicorn-2, pocketcube 3p from UK

  • 1U copy of New Zealand, by Astrix Astronautics

  • Three E-Space satellites

  • 24 US SpaceBEE 0.25U size satellites




"We don't usually give Mother Nature power over the launch date, but for our first helicopter capture attempt, we want to have the best possible conditions to give us the best chance of a successful capture," Rocket Lab said. “Over time, we will tighten those boundaries.”

The original launch opportunity was Sunda