A little rocket will launch a clutch of tiny satellites to space for its next test flight.
Rocket Lab -- a U.S. and New Zealand-based company -- has been working toward the second test flight of its Electron rocket since its first test in May.
But unlike the first test, this second launch, which is currently slated for sometime next month, is actually expected to deliver some small satellites to orbit.
The Earth-observing satellite companies Planet and Spire are planning to launch two spacecraft each to orbit aboard the Electron rocket.
"While we’re still very much operating in a test phase and can likely expect a few scrubs during the second test flight attempt, we’re incredibly excited about carrying Planet and Spire payloads on Electron," Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said in a statement.
"The data these companies gather has an increasingly significant role to play in how we understand our planet and better manage it."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Planet and Spire are thought to be leaders in the small satellite industry today.
Instead of launching one large and expensive satellite to space every few years or so, Planet and Spire are taking a swarming approach to satellite operation.
At the moment, Planet has 190 small Dove satellites in space keeping an eye on the planet and beaming back imagery every day. For its part, Spire's satellites track ship traffic and keep an eye on weather around the world.
Rockets like SpaceX's Falcon 9 and United Launch Alliance's Atlas V are designed to bring large payloads to orbit, but these days many companies -- like Spire and Planet -- are aiming to send large numbers of smaller satellites to orbit.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Historically, small satellites would need to hitch a ride as a secondary payload aboard one of these large rockets, but Rocket Lab doesn't think it needs to be this way.
Instead, the company is aiming for that small satellite market with the Electron -- a much smaller launcher that could provide small satellite companies with a means of launching more regularly and at a lower price than by hitching a ride with larger payloads.
The Electron's first test flight, which took place at the company's picturesque launch facility in New Zealand, was deemed a success. However, the rocket didn't actually achieve orbit.
Rocket Lab investigated the failure and reportedly fixed the problem, but the second test flight should prove out the system even further.
