spacetoday.net: Electron returns to flight with Japanese satellite launch

Electron returns to flight with Japanese satellite launch

Posted: Sun, Dec 17, 2023, 10:11 AM ET (1511 GMT)
Electron launch of iQPS SAR 5 satellite (Rocket Lab)

Rocket Lab's Electron returned to flight Thursday night after a launch failure nearly three months ago. The Electron lifted off at 11:05 pm EST (0405 GMT) and placed the QPS-SAR-5 radar imaging satellite into orbit for Japanese company iQPS. The launch was the first for Electron since a failure in September that the company blamed on an electric arc in the upper stage that resulted from a "largely improbable" series of events. The launch was the tenth Electron mission this year, including one suborbital launch, a record for the company. Rocket Lab is planning up to 22 Electron launches in 2024.