Capella Space Moves Acadia Launches To SpaceX Rideshare Following RocketLab Launch Failure

Capella Space, a provider of radar imaging satellites, has announced it will the the remaining two Acadia satellites on SpaceX rideshare missions in response to deployment disruptions caused by RocketLab's Electron launch failure on September 19th.

Capella Space has finalized arrangements to send Acadia-4 and Acadia-5 into orbit on SpaceX rideshare missions during the first half of 2024. The Bandwagon-1 mission, scheduled for as early as April 2024, will host Acadia-4, while Acadia-5 is set to launch on Transporter-11, expected no earlier than June 2024. The Transporter-11 mission was facilitated through the services of launch company Exolaunch.

Capella Space says that these arrangements will enable a diverse range of orbits for its Acadia satellites. Notably, Bandwagon-1 represents the inaugural mission in SpaceX's recently introduced line of dedicated rideshare missions, targeting mid-inclination orbits, a departure from the sun-synchronous orbits traditionally associated with Transporter missions.

“Working with SpaceX to launch our Acadia satellites into a variety of orbits is a huge win for Capella and will enhance our ability to bring greater coverage and higher revisits over key areas of interest across our customer spectrum.” - Frank Backes, Chief Executive of Capella Space

In February 2023,  Capella Space signed a contract with Rocket Lab for four launches of its Acadia satellites. The initial launch took place on August 23, and was successful, placing the first Acadia satellite into orbit. However, the subsequent launch on September 19 faced failure when the second stage engine shut down immediately after ignition, resulting in the loss of the satellite.

Rocket Lab attributed the failure to an "unexpected electrical arc" in the upper stage's power supply, causing a loss of power and subsequent engine shutdown. The company announced plans to resume Electron launches in late November, with a mission for another radar imaging satellite company, Japan's iQPS, but this launch has been postponed to mid-December.

Capella Space affirmed its commitment to collaborating with Rocket Lab for additional satellite launches into orbit, although specific launch dates were not disclosed in the recent statement about the SpaceX launch agreements.

The strategic move to leverage SpaceX's rideshare missions reflects Capella's determination to overcome setbacks and maintain momentum in deploying their cutting-edge radar imaging technology.