Rocket Lab, a global leader in launch services and space systems, has announced the launch of its next Electron mission, named ‘Beginning Of The Swarm’, which will carry two satellites for two separate customers: NEONSAT-1, an Earth observation satellite for the Satellite Technology Research Center (SaTReC) at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3).
NEONSAT-1: Monitoring Natural Disasters in Korea
The primary payload, NEONSAT-1, is an Earth observation satellite with a high-resolution optical camera designed to monitor for natural disasters along the Korean Peninsula by pairing its images with artificial intelligence. This satellite is the first to be developed under the NEONSAT program by SaTReC and KAIST, Korea’s leading university in science and technology, which developed and operated Korea’s very first satellite KITSAT-1 more than 30 years ago.
NASA’s ACS3: Advancing Solar Sail Propulsion
The secondary payload, NASA’s ACS3, is a technology demonstration of new materials and deployable structures for solar sail propulsion systems that use sunlight to propel the spacecraft.