A Sky Full of SARs
A Sky Full of SARs was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for Capella that launched successfully at 13:18 UTC on 11 August 2024 (1:18 a.m. NZST on 12 August; 9:18 a.m. EDT on 11 August) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
13:18 UTC on 11 August 2024 · 1:18 a.m. NZST on 12 August · 9:18 a.m. EDT on 11 August
Ground Winds
Disclaimer: This livestream is from a third-party channel and is not an official Rocket Lab broadcast.
Mission State
This mission currently has a dated launch window in the tracker.
The current watch link is from a third-party source rather than Rocket Lab directly.
Launch Updates
-
Launch success.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: spacenews.com -
Payload deployed
by Nosu Source: youtube.com -
Liftoff
by Nosu Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
Pun on Coldplay's 2014 song "A Sky Full of Stars," with "Stars" replaced by "SARs" (Synthetic Aperture Radar) — Capella Space's satellite imaging technology.
Mission Overview
Payload consists of a single SAR Earth-imaging Acadia satellite, a new generation satellite designed, manufactured, and operated by Capella Space.
Technical Details
66
kiwisLaunch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 61° below the horizon at liftoff — full night, the plume stays in Earth's shadow.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 1:18 a.m. NZST · 13:18 UTC
- Astronomical dawn (−18°)
- 5:28 a.m. NZST · 17:28 UTC
- Nautical dawn (−12°)
- 5:59 a.m. NZST · 17:59 UTC
- Civil dawn (−6°)
- 6:31 a.m. NZST · 18:31 UTC
- Sunrise
- 6:59 a.m. NZST · 18:59 UTC
Twilight times at the pad (Mahia, NZ) for the morning of the launch.
What's a rocket jellyfish? When a rocket launches in twilight, the ground is dark but its exhaust plume climbs into sunlight high above. The expanding plume glows against the dark sky in a jellyfish-like shape.
Space-Object Catalog
| Object | Operator | Built by | Mass | Orbit | Status | NORAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Capella 13 2024-142A · Payload | Operator Capella Space Corp. | Built by Capella Space Corp. Acadia | Mass 180 kg | Orbit 604 × 606 km · 53.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 60419 |
Electron 52 Kick Stage 2024-142B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 50 kg | Orbit 577 × 594 km · 53.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 60420 |
Electron 52 Stage 2 2024-142C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 121 × 197 km · 53.0° | Status Decayed 2024-08-23 | NORAD 60421 |
