[[Home|🏠]] <span style="color: LightSlateGray">></span> [[Hardware]] <span style="color: LightSlateGray">></span> Photon ## Summary Photon is Rocket Lab’s flight proven, configurable spacecraft tailored for missions ranging from [[🌍 Orbits#LEO|low earth orbit]] through to planetary destinations. Photon is based on Rocket Lab’s heritage [[Electron#Kick Stage|Electron Kick Stage]], leveraging numerous components that have significant flight heritage, including the [[Curie]], an in-house designed and developed in-space propulsion system. Photon evolves the Kick Stage by incorporating high-power generation, high-accuracy attitude determination and control, enhanced propulsion subsystems, and radiation-tolerant avionics to provide a bundled launch-plus-satellite offering. 🔗 https://rocketlabcorp.com/space-systems/spacecraft/ ![[Pasted image 20250703175738.png]] ## Missions | Mission | Status | Quantity | | ------------------------------------------ | -------- | -------- | | [[014 - I Can't Believe It's Not Optical]] | Launched | 1 | | [[019 - They Go Up So Fast]] | Launched | 1 | | [[VICTUS HAZE]] | Pending | 1 | | [[LOXSAT]] | Pending | 1 | ## Specifications 🔗 Spec Sheet: [[Photon spec sheet.pdf]] | Specification | Value | | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | | Available payload mass | Up to 170 kg (orbit dependent). From 37 degrees to SSO | | Propulsion | [[Curie]] | | Available payload volume | Electron fairing envelope | | Payload power (peak) | 100 W to 1 kW | | Payload energy/orbit | Up to 300 Whr | | System voltage | 28 V unregulated; regulated options available | | Pointing accuracy | 5 deg to 50 arc-sec | | Slew rate | Up to 5 deg/s | | Pointing stability | Up to TBS arcsec/sec | | Orbit knowledge | 5 - 10 m | | Delta-v capacity | Payload dependent | | Payload data interfaces | LVDS, ethernet, CAN, RS422/485 | | Payload data storage | Up to 1 TB | | Telemetry & command frequencies | S-band (space operations) | | Telemetry and command data rate | Up to 512 kbps | | Payload transmitter | Payload dependent; multiple options available | | Orbit type and lifetime | LEO > 5 years | ## New Lineup In February 2024 Rocket Lab [announced their new Spacecraft lineup](https://rocketlabcorp.com/updates/new-blog-post-16/). Prior to this announcement, all spacecraft were named some variation of Photon (Photon Interplanetary, etc). In addition to Photon the lineup includes [[Explorer]], [[Lightning]], [[Pioneer]], and [[Flatellite]]. ![[Pasted image 20250630182727.jpg]] ## Media ### Video  🔗 Backup Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAUj-TQpn-A ---  🔗 Backup Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC8RxgL9tK4 ### Text - [Space Bucket Article 8-30-2022](https://thespacebucket.com/how-photon-evolved-what-rocket-lab-is-capable-of/) - [SatNews.com CAPSTONE Article 7-4-2022](https://news.satnews.com/2022/07/04/rocket-lab-launch-update-for-the-upcoming-nasa-advanced-space-capstone-moon-mission/)