We Will Never Desert You
We Will Never Desert You was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for Capella that ended in a launch failure after lifting off at 06:55 UTC on 19 September 2023 (6:55 p.m. NZST on 19 September; 2:55 a.m. EDT on 19 September) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
06:55 UTC on 19 September 2023 · 6:55 p.m. NZST on 19 September · 2:55 a.m. EDT on 19 September
Mission Failure
Mission did not achieve its intended objectives
Ignition failure of the 2nd stage after separation.
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
-
Electron experienced an anomaly during second stage ignition, leading to a failed launch.
by hitura-nobad Source: youtube.com -
Liftoff
by hitura-nobad Source: youtube.com -
New T-0 06:55 UTC
by hitura-nobad Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
Double entendre on "desert" — a pledge never to abandon Capella, plus a nod to SAR satellites' ability to image desert terrain in any weather or lighting conditions.
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
kiwis- Press Kit rocketlabusa.com
Launch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
HighSun 11° below the horizon at liftoff — prime twilight.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 6:55 p.m. NZST · 06:55 UTC
- Sunset
- 6:01 p.m. NZST · 06:01 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 6:28 p.m. NZST · 06:28 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 6:59 p.m. NZST · 06:59 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 7:31 p.m. NZST · 07:31 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.
