Running Out Of Toes | Prelaunch Preview of Rocket Lab's next mission

 

When, Where and for what they gonna launch it??

Mission Name: Running Out of Toes

Payload: 2 BlackSky satellites

Launch provider: Rocket Lab

Customer: BlackSky

Launch Vehicle: Electron

Date and time (subject to change): 15th May 2021 at 3:30 PM IST (GMT+05:30)

Launch Site: Launching from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula

Orbit of the satellites: Sun-Synchronous Orbit

Other stuff: 

- It will be the 20th mission of Rocket Lab and their workhorse rocket Electron. 

- This mission will be the second of three planned ocean splashdown recovery missions by Rocket Lab.

- It will be the 42nd launch attempt of the year 2021

Ok, then what is "Running Out Of Toes"??

Running Out Of Toes is the first of four dedicated launches in 2021 for BlackSky, a leading provider of real-time geospatial intelligence and global monitoring services. Running Out Of Toes will see Electron deploy two 60kg class Earth-observation satellites to low Earth orbit, where they’ll join three BlackSky satellites previously deployed by Rocket Lab as part of BlackSky’s constellation. The mission furthers BlackSky’s goal to achieve a 16-satellite constellation by early-2022. Spaceflight Inc. arranged the launch and is providing mission management and integration services for BlackSky.

What are BlackSky satellites?

BlackSky’s Earth-observation microsatellites capture high-resolution images of the planet. Combined with their monitoring service Spectra AI, BlackSky uses artificial intelligence to analyze and make sense of satellite images to track trends, from a region’s economic recovery from COVID-19 through to international cargo transport. Once on orbit, BlackSky’s two Gen-2 satellites will continue to grow the BlackSky space network and enable BlackSky to provide more frequent revisits globally with heightened revisit capability in the 45-to-50-degree markets. This mission will expand BlackSky’s space sensor network and analytic product throughput, growing their ability to offer timely, rapid, and more vivid insights to their customer customers and partners globally. 

What about the Rocket??

The payload will reach its destination by Rocket Lab's Electron rocket. It is a two-stage orbital launch vehicle that is designed specifically to inject small satellites of up to 300 kg into a wide range of low Earth orbits (LEO). The first stage uses 9 sea-level Rutherford engines which is an electric pump-fed engine and the second stage uses a single vacuum optimized Rutherford engine. Both stages are powered by liquid oxygen and RP-1 (rocket-grade kerosene). Rocket Lab has also developed an optional third stage named "kick stage" designed to circularize and raise the orbits to deploy the payloads to unique and precise orbital destinations. The Kick Stage is powered by Curie engine. They also trying to reuse electron's first stage and this mission will be the second of three planned ocean splashdown recovery missions by Rocket Lab.

HEIGHT - 18 m

DIAMETER - 1.2 m 

STAGES - 2 + Kick Stage

WET MASS - 13,000 kg

PAYLOAD TO LEO - 300 kg

STRUCTURE - Carbon Composite

PROPELLANT - LOX / Kerosene

From where I can see the launch?

You can see the launch through Rocket Lab's Livestream:

1) Rocket Lab 

2) Rocket lab's Youtube channel

All image credits:  Rocket Lab