Rocket Lab to launch OroraTech satellites

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab announced Jan. 22 a contract to launch a set of wildfire-monitoring satellites for German company OroraTech on a short turnaround.Rocket Lab said it will launch eight of OroraTech’s smallsats on an Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The press release announcing the contract did not disclose a launch date, but Rocket Lab said in a social media post that the launch “is just a few weeks away.”OroraTech is developing a constellation of satellites to detect and monitor wildfires, providing early warnings of fires to alert first responders. The company launched its third satellite, FOREST-3, on the SpaceX Transporter-12 dedicated rideshare mission Jan. 14.The Munich-based company raised 25 million euros ($26 million) in October 2024 and said at the time that, after the launch of FOREST-3, it would launch two sets of eight satellites each later in the year, but did not disclose its launch plans for them at the time. OroraTech plans to ultimately deploy a 100-satellite constellation.Rocket Lab said the launch will take place less than four months after signing the contract. “Knowing that time is of the essence to get these satellites in space, we’re proud to be rising to the challenge and supporting the OroraTech mission to better monitor for and protect against these devastating natural disasters globally,” Peter Beck, chief executive of Rocket Lab, said in a statement.Rocket Lab, one of the leaders in the small launch market, has often emphasized the flexibility that dedicated launches provide as it competes with rideshare alternatives like those offered by SpaceX, a point that Beck made in the statement about the contract.“This launch is a showcase of all the benefits of flying dedicated on Electron: control over schedule, agility and ability to meet tight deadlines and mission requirements, and the reliability of launching on the world’s most frequently launched small orbital rocket,” he said.Rocket Lab announced Jan. 21 its first launch of 2025, for French Internet-of-Things company Kinéis. The launch, scheduled for no earlier than Feb. 3 (U.S. time) from Launch Complex 1, will place five Kinéis satellites into orbit. It will be the fourth of five launches under a contract between the two companies.Rocket Lab carried out 16 Electron launches in 2024, including two of the suborbital version of the rocket, known as HASTE. The company said it expects this year to exceed that mark, a company record, but did not provide a more specific estimate.The company also is working towards a first launch of its Neutron reusable medium-lift vehicle that could take place as soon as the middle of the year.