Watch Rocket Lab launch Korean disaster-monitoring satellite today (Image Credit: Space.com)
Rocket Lab will launch a Korean disaster-monitoring satellite to orbit today (Dec. 10), and you can watch the action live.
“Bridging the Swarm” will launch a single satellite for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) — NEONSAT-1A, an advanced Earth-observation spacecraft designed to monitor natural disasters throughout the Korean Peninsula.
KAIST already operates one such satellite — NEONSAT-1, which flew to orbit on an Electron in April 2024. But the goal is to build that fleet out over the next few years, and NEONSAT-1A is part of that vision.
The new spacecraft “will be deployed to validate KAIST’s advanced satellite’s capability, boost operational utility and pave the way for the single NEONSAT satellite to become a constellation — thus fulfilling the mission’s name, ‘Bridging the Swarm,'” Rocket Lab wrote in an emailed statement on Tuesday evening (Dec. 9).
If all goes to plan today, the Electron will deploy NEONSAT-1A into low Earth orbit, 336 miles (540 kilometers) above our planet, about 54 minutes after launch.
Rocket Lab expedited the “Bridging the Swarm” launch, deciding to conduct the mission on a fast timeline, the company announced in Tuesday evening’s statement.
“This launch rescheduling is a demonstration of Rocket Lab’s operational efficiency, responsiveness, and flexibility to meet the ever-evolving needs of its customers, while continuing to launch more missions every year to support a growing manifest,” Rocket Lab wrote.
