At 5:12 am UTC on June 13, an Electron rocket launched the “Don’t Stop Me Now” mission from Rocket Lab’s spaceport on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand.
Don’t Stop Me Now’s payloads were ANDESITE, NRO, and M2 Pathfinder satellites.
ANDESITE — which stands for Ad-Hoc Network Demonstration for Extended Satellite-Based Inquiry and Other Team Endeavors (whew!) — was created by electrical and mechanical engineering students and professors at Boston University.
Its purpose, according to Rocket Lab’s press release, is to study Earth’s magnetic field with onboard sensors and later release smaller satellites with more sensors “to track electric currents flowing in and out of the atmosphere, a phenomenon also known as space weather.”
The 3 National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) satellites were all designed, built, and operated by the NRO. We don’t really have any other info because, well, it’s the NRO.
The M2 Pathfinder is a demonstration satellite and collaboration between the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Canberra Space, and the Australian Government. Its purpose is to test the “ability of an onboard software-based radio to operate and reconfigure while in orbit.”
The “Don’t Stop Me Now” mission was named in memory and recognition of Rocket Lab board member Scott Smith, who was also a big Queen fan.
More Information
Don’t Stop Me Now mission page (Rocket Lab)
