Right on time at 11:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT) on March 26, from Rocket Lab’s Pad B at Launch Complex 1, Mahia base in New Zealand, the 59-foot (18-meter), three-stage rocket, Electron, dropped its core booster about 2.5 minutes into flight. Next the second stage firing occurred to increase orbital speeds, and finally, Electron’s kick stage to ensure accuracy with the mission’s orbit. Photo by Satnews.
The eight payloads were dispensed two at a time as was reported to be under an hour after launch. Then reports indicated that the satellites began their synchronized orbital alignment and fire-detection mission.
Rocket Lab to launch Finding Hot Wildfires Near You (OroraTech OTC-P1) expanding their constellation
Fork fire.
“Finding Hot Wildfires Near You” is a rapid turnaround mission for OroraTech, a Germany-based global provider of wildfire detection and monitoring solutions. Rocket Lab will launch a dedicated mission for OroraTech on NET March 27th (Wednesday, March 26th at 8:30 – 9:00 am PDT), from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.
Scheduled to launch NET March 27th 2025, the mission will deliver eight OroraTech Constellation Phase 1 satellites to a 550km orbit to expand its constellation providing data from space to help tackle wildfire challenges globally. The mission is scheduled for lift-off just four months from launch contract signing in order to meet the time-sensitive requirements of OroraTech’s wildfire detection mission.
“Finding Hot Wildfires Near You” will be Rocket Lab’s fifth mission of 2025 and 63rd Electron launch overall, and will bring the total number of satellites delivered to space Electron to 224.
OroraTech empowers everyday heroes by protecting our world and creating a safer future. Through our Wildfire Solution platform, we detect, track, and predict wildfires across the globe.
Using our network of over 25+ public and proprietary satellites, we give firefighters and emergency personnel near-real-time data on fire behavior and situational awareness for those battling the flames.
OroraTech operates the world’s largest network of wildfire detection satellites. With the launch OroraTech Constellation Phase One with Rocket Lab, we are adding detections and observations during the early afternoon. This period, known as the “Afternoon Gap,” is when fires start most often and rage the hottest, yet offer no satellite overpasses. We aim to fix that. Adding these critical observations allows firefighters to maintain situational awareness during a fire at all times of the day, regardless of weather or cloud cover.