WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab launched eight satellites for a German company that is expanding its constellation to detect and track wildfires.
An Electron rocket lifted off from Pad B of Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 11:30 a.m. Eastern March 26. The rocket completed deployment its payload of eight cubesats for OroraTech about 55 minutes later, placing them into sun-synchronous orbits at an altitude of 550 kilometers.
Rocket Lab announced in January it signed a contract with OroraTech for the launch, which the companies said at the time would take place in “just a few weeks.” The 8U cubesats were built by Spire as part of its space services business line.
“This launch is yet another showcase of the exceptional qualities of Electron and the Rocket Lab team: a quick and streamlined turnaround to get this important mission in space, precise deployment for optimal global wildfire monitoring, and responsive service that perfectly meets customer requirements,” Peter Beck, chief executive of Rocket Lab, said in a post-launch statement.
OroraTech had launched three satellites before this mission, using data from those satellites as well as from government spacecraft to detect and track wildfires. The new satellites are designed to fill a gap in coverage in the afternoon, a peak time for wildfire formation and spread.
The company raised 25 million euros ($27 million) in October 2024 to support the launch of both this set of eight satellites as well as a second set of eight planned for later this year. OroraTech also plans to use the funding to enhance its data modeling capabilities and expand its presence in North America.
OroraTech, partnered with Spire Canada, won a contract worth $72 million Canadian ($50.5 million) Feb. 7 from the Canadian Space Agency to build a cubesat constellation called WildFireSat. Those satellites will be similar to the ones launched on this mission, using sensors developed by OroraTech in a bus built by Spire.
This was the fifth Electron launch this year and the third in less than two weeks, after launches for Japanese radar imaging company iQPS March 14 and French Internet-of-things connectivity company Kinéis March 17. Rocket Lab said in an earnings call in February that it is planning more than 20 Electron launches this year, including of the HASTE suborbital version of the rocket.
