Subscribe with SteadyIt's a Test / Still Testing
It's a Test [Rocket Lab]
It's a Test is a vehicle evaluation payload for the maiden flight of the Electron rocket designed and built by Rocket Lab specifically for this mission.
For the maiden flight of Electron, no real payload besides the instrumented upper stage was flown, as the purpose of this flight was to gather data on the launch vehicle and the launch environment. It carried instrumentation collecting 25000 channels of telemetry for engineers to evaluate the launchers performance.
Although the rocket performed first and second stage flight and payload fairing separation, the mission did not reach orbit.
The second test flight is named Still testing.
| Nation: | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Vehicle evaluation |
| Operator: | Rocket Lab |
| Contractors: | Rocket Lab |
| Equipment: | ? |
| Configuration: | instrumented upper stage |
| Propulsion: | None in orbit |
| Power: | Batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | |
| Orbit: | 300 km × 500 km, 83° (#1 planned); 290 km × 524 km, 82.93° (#2) |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| It's a Test | 2017-F02 | 25.05.2017 | OnS LC-1A | F | Electron | with Humanity Star |
| Still Testing | 2018-010D | 21.01.2018 | OnS LC-1A | Electron KS | with Humanity Star, Lemur-2 72, Lemur-2 73, Dove Pioneer |
Launch Sites:
- OnS = Onenui Station, Mahia, Wairoa, North Island, New Zealand
References:
- Rocket Lab: 'It's a Test' Press Kit
- Spaceflight Now: Maiden flight of Rocket Labs small satellite launcher reaches space, 25 May 2017
