Ready, Aim, PREFIRE
Ready, Aim, PREFIRE was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for NASA that launched successfully at 07:41 UTC on 25 May 2024 (7:41 p.m. NZST on 25 May; 3:41 a.m. EDT on 25 May) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
07:41 UTC on 25 May 2024 · 7:41 p.m. NZST on 25 May · 3:41 a.m. EDT on 25 May
Mission State
This mission currently has a dated launch window in the tracker.
The primary watch link points to an official Rocket Lab source.
Launch Updates
-
Satellite in contact.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: nasa.gov -
Satellite deployed.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: x.com -
Liftoff
by hitura-nobad Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
This Rocket Lab mission supports NASA's PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-Infrared Experiment) initiative, studying Earth's heat. The name is a clever wordplay on 'Ready, Aim, Fire,' linking to the launch and the mission's scientific aim.
Mission Overview
First 6U Cubesat carrying a miniaturized IR spectrometer, covering 0- 45 μm at 0.84 μm spectral resolution, operating for one seasonal cycle for NASAs PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission.
Technical Details
6
kiwisLaunch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 31° below the horizon at liftoff — full night, the plume stays in Earth's shadow.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 7:41 p.m. NZST · 07:41 UTC
- Sunset
- 4:57 p.m. NZST · 04:57 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 5:26 p.m. NZST · 05:26 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 5:59 p.m. NZST · 05:59 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 6:31 p.m. NZST · 06:31 UTC
Twilight times at the pad (Mahia, NZ) for the evening 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PREFIRE 2 2024-099A · Payload | Operator Jet Propulsion Lab | Built by Jet Propulsion Lab Cubesat 6U | Mass 10 kg | Orbit 492 × 509 km · 97.4° | Status On orbit | NORAD 59881 |
Electron 48 Stage 2 2024-099B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 131 × 167 km · 97.5° | Status Decayed 2024-06-10 | NORAD 59882 |
Electron 48 Kick Stage 2024-099C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 50 kg | Orbit 182 × 192 km · 97.4° | Status Decayed 2025-06-01 | NORAD 59883 |
