mission to space from the company's Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealan. Aboard each rocket will be a cubesat that will circle the globe at an altitude between 292 and 403 miles in near-polar orbits.
The first launch is scheduled no earlier than May 22 and after the successful deployment of"Ready, Aim, PREFIRE," the second, deemed"PREFIRE and ICE", will follow within three weeks. These two launches will be Rocket Lab's sixth and seventh of the year and the 48th and 49th Electron launches to date. .
PREFIRE's two small satellites – shown in an artist's concept orbiting Earth – will measure the amount of heat radiated into space by the planet's polar regions. Data from the mission will inform climate and ice models.from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, the Arctic has warmed more than 2.5 times faster than the rest of the planet with roughly 60% of the energy that's released into space not measured efficiently.
This is not the first time Rocket Lab has used Electron for NASA science and technology missions; it also was part of theto keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: Meredith is a regional Murrow award-winning Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and science/space correspondent. She most recently was a Freelance Meteorologist for NY 1 in New York City & the 19 First Alert Weather Team in Cleveland.