rocket lab launches its 1st mission from new pad today

written by elizabeth howell, on february 28th, 2022

who: rocket lab
what: launches first mission
how: using its 59-foot-tall (18 meters) electron launcher
when: today, february 28, 2022
where: from the newly completed pad b at its new zealand launch complex
why: to heft a strix earth-observation satellite into orbit for the japanese company synspective

interesting fact: strix spacecraft study earth using synthetic aperture radar (sar), which can look through clouds to see the surface of the planet during daytime or nighttime passes.