The Moon God Awakens
The Moon God Awakens was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for iQPS that launched successfully at 04:05 UTC on 15 December 2023 (5:05 p.m. NZDT on 15 December; 11:05 p.m. EST on 14 December) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
04:05 UTC on 15 December 2023 · 5:05 p.m. NZDT on 15 December · 11:05 p.m. EST on 14 December
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
-
Launch success w/ main payload in contact.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: i-qps.net -
Liftoff.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: youtube.com -
Count resumed.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
Named for QPS-SAR-5 "TSUKUYOMI-I." Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto is the Shinto moon god, born from Izanagi's right eye alongside Amaterasu. Banished after killing food goddess Ukemochi — explaining why sun and moon never meet.
Mission Overview
QPS-SAR-5 is a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite that will join a constellation after QPS-SAR-6 already in orbit. iQPS’s satellites are small, high-performance SAR satellites that use a lightweight, large, stowable antenna to collect high resolution images of Earth, even through clouds and adverse weather conditions.
Technical Details
40
kiwisLaunch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 37° above the horizon at liftoff — daylight, the sky is too bright.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 5:05 p.m. NZDT · 04:05 UTC
- Sunset
- 8:30 p.m. NZDT · 07:30 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 9:02 p.m. NZDT · 08:02 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 9:43 p.m. NZDT · 08:43 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 10:30 p.m. NZDT · 09:30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tsukuyomi-I 2023-196A · Payload | Operator Kabushikigaisha QPS kenkyujo | Built by Kabushikigaisha QPS kenkyujo QSAT | Mass 120 kg | Orbit 472 × 509 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 58578 |
Electron 42 Kick Stage 2023-196B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 42 kg | Orbit 507 × 535 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 58579 |
Electron 42 Stage 2 2023-196C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 145 × 172 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2024-01-12 | NORAD 58580 |
