On 20 June 2024, Rocket Lab’s Electron launcher successfully executed its 50th mission, launching from New Zealand and placing the first five satellites of the Kinéis constellation into orbit.
This news follows on from the announcement Kinéis made about the imminent launch of its satellites in which it called it a significant advancement in IoT technology.
This constellation is Europe’s inaugural network dedicated to IoT. The “No Time Toulouse” mission commenced from Rocket Lab’s launch complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, at 8:13 pm (Paris time), deploying five satellites, each weighing 28 kg, into a low circular orbit at 635 km. This mission marked the first of five Electron launches planned for the Kinéis constellation.
“Kinéis is proud of the success of Electron’s 50th flight. The delicate phase of separating our 5 nanosatellites from the launcher went very well. Our teams are now working to place them in their respective orbits,” said Alexandre Tisserant, Chairman and CEO, Kinéis. “These first 5 satellites in the constellation mark the start of the IoT revolution driven by Kinéis connectivity and offer the prospect of full commercial services. See you in later this year for the 2nd launch, and congratulations to the teams!”
“Kinéis’ precise and tailored mission achieved today is yet another demonstration of the value Electron continues to bring to the small satellite community. Congratulations to our team and thanks to our customers and supporters for helping us continue to break records and set new industry standards,” added Sir Peter Beck, Founder and CEO of Rocket Lab.
The Kinéis IoT constellation aims to connect objects globally, including in remote areas, and deliver valuable data to users almost in real-time. Kinéis serves an international market, with subsidiaries in the United States, Brazil, and Singapore, addressing significant global challenges such as natural disaster prevention (including the detection of forest fires, floods, drought, and pollution), agriculture, animal traceability, infrastructure and energy network monitoring, and the oversight of transport and logistics, as well as commercial and scientific maritime activities. The potential applications are vast, with benefits including risk reduction, anticipation of breakdowns, and optimisation of activities.
This milestone in the Kinéis project has been achieved through entirely French public and private funding, with support from Bpifrance, CLS, and CNES.
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