Rocket Lab Frontiers In Cosmic Realm -Launches NASA's Cubesat For Studying Heat Lost From Earth's Poles
- Ananya Sharma
- Jun 9, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 13, 2024
Hello, Everyone!
To build yet another success story in space to serve humanity and shape our Earth's future, Rocket Lab a space organization and pioneer in space and launch systems launched an Electron rocket from the company's site stationed in New Zealand at 7:41 Pm on 25th May 2024.
The Electron rocket was launched for PREFIRE {Polar Radiant Energy in the Far Infrared Experience} Mission to research and observe climate thoroughly.
Pic Source: Space.com
But what is Electron Rocket?
It is an orbital launch vehicle comprising dual stages with reusable properties and engineered by Rocket Lab-A U.S.-based space organization.
Let us ponder over some of its salient features:-
-> The rocket body incorporates a carbon composite material. Both the stages of the rocket possess a diameter of 1.2 meters. The propellants employed to power the missile are RP-1/LOX.
To power the rocket RP -1 which is short for Rocket Propellant 1 or Refined Petroleum 1 is used as a fuel. It is an extensive refined form of Kerosene such as jet fuel. It renders low criticalities and low specific impulse.
The carbon composites are understood as carbon fiber reinforced polymers and are extremely stealthy and lightweight materials the carbon composite incorporates carbon fibers implanted into a carbon matrix.
-> LOX abbreviated for liquid oxygen is used as an Oxidizer. Refined Petroleum is used in rockets because of lesser explosion criticality, is stable at room temperature, and is much cheaper. However, the Lower Specific Impulse is there for RP-1. The Low specific impulse implies more fuel is needed to generate thrust.
Notably, an engine with a higher specific impulse is assumed to be efficient as it generates higher thrust for the same amount of propellant.
->Both stages employ the Rutherford engine.
But what is the Rutherford Engine?
It is the maiden electric pump-led engine to fuel an orbital rocket.
The electric pump is fueled by Li (Lithium)- Polymer batteries. The electric pump-fed engine has two propellants which power the rocket engine. The fuel pumps are fed through electricity and hence the incoming propellant is straight away burnt in the combustion chamber and not even a trace of fuel is directed to the pump. When compared to the conventional rocket engine, the pumps are powered through some portion of input propellant. Rutherford Engine offers simplicity and yet high efficiency.
->In the second stage the three batteries are employed which are hot-swapped (hot swap batteries are those that can be replaced without the requirement to shut down the device or the system which they power --it implies they are extremely customizable as per the requirement. Here, two of the batteries are expelled once exhausted to lower the mass).
->In the first stage the 9 Rutherford engines are employed and in the second one a Vaccum-optimized version is used which generates a thrust of 25.8 KN
The satellite was successfully deployed into orbit 53 minutes post-launch as was predetermined by Rocket Lab.
The twin PREFIRE satellites CubeSats are "6U" cubes on the sides. Here U refers to the cube of (4 inches } Therefore 6U Cube Sat implies that it is of the size of 6U or 6 units of 4 inches.
So what do the two PREFIRE satellites do?
The PREFIRE CubeSats were predetermined to reach about 326-mile altitude or 525 km circular orbits. Once they were deployed at this altitude to carefully quantify the heat radiated from Earth's poles. This is a groundbreaking achievement for the rocket lab as this has never been done before -an observation done from orbit above Earth.
But how will PREFIRE Satellites measure the heat emanating from Earth's polar regions?
The pinnacle of exceptional engineering -the CubeSats will traverse in a crisscross manner over the Arctic and Antarctica; quantifying the thermal infrared heat emitted from the poles.
This quantification of the thermal infrared heat radiation will eventually bolster the precision of climate models and enhance the forecast of the potential changes owing to global warming according to Rocket Lab's mission chronicle.
The launch is the 48thedition of the launch for the Electron Rocket with an altitude of 59 -foot height or 18 meters height which has been engineered to deploy small satellites or nanosatellites -CubeSats to the designated orbit.
But what is CubeSat?
CubeSats developed by NASA are nanosatellites that have been incorporated into the mission owing to their small sizes and lightweight properties.
The PREFIRE comprises two CubeSats of the size of the size of a shoebox decked up with heat sensors which will render a precise insight of quantified heat emission from Earth's polar regions into the cosmos.
The PREFIRE Mission was co-developed by NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
This PREFIRE Mission is maiden launch with" Ready, Aim, PREFIRE" on 25th of May 2024.
Conclusively we can say that the landmark PREFIRE mission launched by Rocket Lab envisions carefully quantifying the heat radiated from Earth's poles.This quantification of the thermal infrared heat radiation will eventually bolster the precision of climate models and enhance the forecast of the potential changes owing to global warming and will be a great aid to mankind.
Thank You.
References:
This post provides detailed information about Rocket Lab's Electron rocket and its recent launch for NASA's PREFIRE mission. It's informative post.