Rocket Lab completes second PRE-FIRE rocket launch

Rocket Lab USA Inc. (Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S.) has successfully completed the second Electron launch for NASA’s Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PRE-FIRE) climate change-focused mission, completing a turnaround of two launches within 11 days.

“PREFIRE and Ice” lifted-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, at 3:15 p.m. NZST (11:15 p.m. ET) on June 5, deploying the second of two satellites to a 525-kilometer orbit. The first mission, “Ready, Aim, PREFIRE,” was launched on May 25 from the same launch pad, demonstrating Rocket Lab’s ability to launch consistently and in quick succession to meet customer mission requirements.

With both satellites now in orbit, they will crisscross the Arctic and Antarctic to study heat lost to space from the Earth’s polar regions. Heat loss measurements collected by the PREFIRE mission will help to improve climate and ice-loss models to better predict Earth’s ice, sea level and weather changes. The mission is expected to operate for 10 months.

The Electron vehicle has now delivered 185 satellites to space across all its launches, with this mission being Rocket Lab’s 49^th Electron launch overall and seventh mission of 2024. Electron is said to remain the U.S.’ second-most frequently launched rocket annually and one of the most frequently launched rockets globally.

Details for Rocket Lab’s 50^th Electron launch will be released in the coming days.