Rocket Lab demonstrates new orbital maneuvering capability • Spaceleaks

On January 20, 2021, Rocket Lab successfully launched a communications satellite for European space technology company, OHB Group, deploying the 50 kg class GMS-T satellite to a 1,200 km circular orbit – around 700 km higher than most Electron missions to date.

It’s an orbit increasingly in demand for a growing number of constellations, but the unique altitude isn’t a common target orbit for most rideshare missions, leaving satellites facing a long delay to find a ride going to their preferred orbit.

After separating from Electron’s second stage into an elliptical transfer orbit, the Kick Stage’s 3D printed Curie engine performed two separate burns; one to raise OHB Group’s satellite to a 1,200 km circular orbit, and a second burn to lower the Kick Stage’s perigee after payload deployment, speeding up the de-orbit process to avoid the Kick Stage becoming long-term orbital debris.

Across the two maneuvers, Curie completed more than 267 seconds of total burn time and delivered 1,722 km of perigee change, ascending 982 km and descending 740 km. The complex maneuvers saw Curie burn for more than twice the standard Kick Stage mission profile to low Earth orbit. The extended burn time was made possible thanks to the adaptable design of the Kick Stage which enabled engineers to double the standard number of propellant tanks from four to eight, delivering more on-orbit performance.

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