Ibadan, 24 January 2025. – Rocket Lab USA, Inc. has signed a contract for a responsive launch on Electron with OroraTech to monitor wildfires and alert first responders to danger.
The dedicated mission on Electron will deploy eight satellites to a 550km orbit within just four months from the contract signing, enabling OroraTech to meet the season-sensitive requirements of its wildfire detection mission. This turnaround thus demonstrates the company’s responsive launch capabilities for satellite operators needing urgent access to space.
OroraTech is developing a constellation of satellites with thermal infrared cameras to provide 24/7 monitoring of wildfires globally, supporting better and faster wildfire response to protect forests, people, and infrastructure worldwide. The mission will consequently deploy the Ororatech’s latest plane of satellites called OTC-P1 to its current constellation, further expanding the thermal data company’s capabilities to first responders, governments, and industry partners.
Commenting on the mission, Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, said: “This launch is a showcase of all the benefits of flying dedicated on Electron: control over schedule, agility and ability to meet tight deadlines and mission requirements, and the reliability of launching on the world’s most frequently launched small orbital rocket.”
The CEO also added, “Knowing that time is of the essence to get these satellites in space, we’re proud to be rising to the challenge and supporting the OroraTech mission to better monitor for and protect against these devastating natural disasters globally.”
The mission is the latest launch Rocket Lab has announced in a packed 2025 launch manifest that includes the continuation of multi-launch contracts with constellation operators Synspective, Kineis, and BlackSky; a responsive space mission for the U.S. Space Force that will see Rocket Lab build a spacecraft, then launch it on Electron with 24-hours’ notice; and the debut launch of Rocket Lab’s new medium-lift reusable rocket, Neutron.
