Spaceflight to Launch Smallsats for Canon Electronics,
BlackSky, and Others On Three Upcoming Rocket Lab
Missions
11 June 2018
Spaceflight has partnered with Rocket Lab for three
upcoming launches. The first Electron mission, scheduled
for the end of 2018, will launch a BlackSky microsat
along with several rideshare customers. The second
mission will launch satellites from commercial and
government organizations in early 2019, and the third
mission, also scheduled for early 2019, will launch a
spacecraft from Canon Electronics.
All three missions will lift off from the Rocket Lab
Launch Complex 1 on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand
and dispense the customer spacecraft into Lower Earth
Orbit. Spaceflight has procured the launch capacity on
behalf of its customers and will provide mission
campaign integration services. Rocket Lab will assist
with satellite to launch vehicle integration and will
provide the launch service to orbit using the Electron.
Following on the success of Canon Electronics’
experimental Earth observing micro satellite CE-SAT-I
which was launched in 2017, the company secured launch
services with Spaceflight via Rocket Lab’s Electron
rocket. “This launch is very critical for Canon
Electronics as we are launching two satellites built
with all components made by Canon Electronics. CE-SAT-I
Mark II is our first mass-production model, and
CE-SAT-II is a model equipped with two cameras with
different resolutions,” said Dr. Nobutada Sako, group
executive, Satellite Systems Lab, Canon Electronics Inc.
“Just as Canon provides world premium technologies,
sales, and services, we believe Spaceflight and Rocket
Lab offer the same premium services to their clients and
look forward to a long-term partnership with them.”
This deal cements Spaceflight’s first missions aboard
the Electron rocket and signifies the company’s
continual expansion of dedicated rideshare missions to
small launchers. “Adding the Electron to our portfolio
of small launch vehicles fulfills a need for customers
to access space with shorter lead times,” said Melissa
Wuerl, Spaceflight’s vice president of business
development. “In addition to providing rideshare
services on other organizations’ missions, we are
pleased to offer first-class integration services and
dedicated launches for our customers on the Electron
rocket.”
“Rapid and repeatable access to space is crucial for the
development of vital infrastructure on orbit,” added
Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck. “In partnering
with Spaceflight, Rocket Lab delivers streamlined
launches and enables innovative missions like those of
Canon Electronics and BlackSky.”
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