Rocket Lab USA, Inc. announced it has set the launch window for its 51st Electron launch, a dedicated mission for American space tech company Capella Space ("Capella"). The 'A Sky Full Of SARs' mission is scheduled to launch during a 14-day window that opens on July 21 NZST /July 20 UTC from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula. The mission will deploy Capella's Acadia-3 SAR satellite, a synthetic aperture radar satellite for Earth imagery and observation, to a mid-inclination 615km circular orbit to add to Capella's existing SAR satellite constellation in low Earth orbit.

The mission will be Rocket Lab's fifth launch for Capella to build out the company's Earth-imaging constellation. Capella is an American space tech company with data and satellite solutions for government and commercial applications. Capella?s high-quality, high-resolution SAR imagery penetrates all weather conditions and captures clear imagery 24/7, day and night, anywhere on Earth, delivered through a fully-automate ordering and delivery platform.

Capella?s existing SAR capabilities includes long-dwell imaging and extended duty-cycle ? which results in more images collected per orbit than any other SAR systems. Acadia will augment Capella?s existing constellation with increased bandwidth and power, faster downlink speeds, and reduced latency. This upcoming mission for Capella will be Rocket Lab?s ninth mission for 2024 and 51st Electron launch overall.

A Sky Full Of SARs? mission details: Launch window: NET July 21, NZST /July 20, UTC; Launch location: Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia; Launch Vehicle: Electron; Satellite Operator: Capella Space; Payload: SAR Earth-imaging Acadia satellite; Orbital Destination: 615km circular Earth orbit.