After two holds in the countdown to the launch attempt, Rocket Lab has waived off the second launch for NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission. Rocket Lab will assess the situation and provide more information and a new launch date when it is available. Continue checking NASA’s small satellite missions blog …
Countdown Resumes For PREFIRE Launch
After a 20 minute hold, the countdown has resumed for NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission. This second satellite about the size of a shoebox waits on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket for liftoff on the mission’s second and final launch. The launch, named “PREFIRE and Ice” by Rocket Lab, is …
Rocket Lab’s Electron Rocket Go for Launch!
The second of two launches of NASA’s PREFIRE mission is just minutes away! The mission team has called out “go for launch” for Rocket Lab’s PREFIRE and Ice launch and should lift off in about five minutes. The CubeSat – about the size of a bread loaf – is set to launch aboard an Electron …
NASA’s PREFIRE Mission: Small Satellites, Big Science
NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission will fly a pair of CubeSat satellites to probe a little-studied portion of the radiant energy emitted by Earth’s polar regions for clues about Arctic warming, sea ice loss, and ice sheet melting. The Arctic and Antarctica help regulate Earth’s overall temperature by radiating back …
Live Coverage of NASA’s PREFIRE Launch Now Underway
Live coverage is underway for the second and final launch of NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission. Rocket Lab is targeting Saturday, June 1, 3:13 p.m. NZST (11:13 p.m. EDT Friday, May 31). for the launch of “PREFIRE and Ice,” which will send the agency’s CubeSat to low Earth orbit. Watch …
NASA’s Second PREFIRE Mission: Weather 70% Favorable for Launch
Weather officials with Rocket Lab predict a 70% chance of favorable weather for launch of NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission. The launch team is monitoring the space weather as there has been a coronal mass ejection partially directed toward Earth that may induce a geomagnetic storm, though predictions are that …
NASA’s New Climate Mission to Launch Second Satellite
Launch day is here for NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission. After the first PREFIRE CubeSat launched from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand on May 25, a second satellite about the size of a shoebox waits on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket for liftoff on the mission’s second and …
Launch Set for NASA’s Second PREFIRE Climate Mission
NASA and Rocket Lab are targeting Saturday, June 1, to launch the second CubeSat for the agency’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission. The launch window opens at 3 p.m. NZST, (11 p.m. EDT, Friday, May 31). The first satellite successfully launched on 7:41 p.m. NZST May 25 (3:41 a.m. EDT) on …
NASA’s PREFIRE Payload Has Deployed
NASA’s PREFIRE CubeSat has deployed from the Rocket Lab’s Electron kick stage. The team will seek signal acquisition from the PREFIRE CubeSat and provide confirmation on the agency website when a signal is acquired. This concludes NASA’s live launch coverage of the mission. NASA’s PREFIRE mission will help close a gap in our understanding of how much …
Liftoff for ‘Ready, Aim, PREFIRE!’
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 1 at Māhia, New Zealand at 7:41 p.m. NZST Saturday, May 25 (3:41 a.m. EDT), on the first of two launches of NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission.