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RKLBFYI
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Optical mission patch
Mission Status

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Optical

Last Updated: 1 hour ago
SUCCESS
Orbit Achieved
Vehicle
Electron
Launch Site
LC-1A
Orbit
Low Earth Orbit
Profile
Earth Science
Monday, August 31, 2020 03:05 AM UTC Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Mission State

Schedule
Date and time on file

This mission currently has a dated launch window in the tracker.

Coverage
Official livestream linked

The primary watch link points to an official Rocket Lab source.

Name Origin

AI

A playful nod to the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!" brand, this name highlights the surprising clarity and capability of Capella Space's non-optical Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites.

"I Can’t Believe It’s Not Optical"

Mission Overview

This return to flight mission is dedicated for Capella Space, an information services company providing Earth observation data on demand. Capella’s payload, ‘Sequoia’, is a single 100 kg class microsatellite which will be the first publicly available satellite in the company’s commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) constellation. By positioning the satellite to a 45-degree inclination, Capella Space will maximize coverage over important areas such as the Middle East, Korea, Japan, Europe, South East Asia, Africa, and the U.S. The mission name is a nod to Capella’s SAR technology that provides high quality images of the Earth day or night, and in any weather conditions, as well as a nod to the infamous advertisement campaign for “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”. Capella’s space-based radar can detect sub-0.5 meter changes on the surface of the Earth, providing insights and data that can be used for security, agricultural and infrastructure monitoring, as well as disaster response and recovery.

Technical Details

Vehicle
Electron
Rocket Lab launch vehicle
Launch Site
Launch Complex 1A
LC-1A · Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
Target Orbit
Low Earth Orbit
Planned deployment regime
Mission Profile
Earth Science
Mission architecture
Payload Mass
100 kg
Kiwi bird icon 40 kiwis
Customer
View customer profile
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