Rocket Lab was set to launch its Electron rocket, nicknamed "It's Business Time" from Mahia Peninsula on Saturday afternoon, but the launch has been cancelled for the day.
Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck confirmed the delay via Twitter, saying, "Electron is healthy but we have not been able to resolve an issue with one of our down range tracking dishes in the Chatham Islands. Ironically this is also required for a solid live stream."
The US-NZ start up was set to attempt its first fully commercial satellite launch. It would be the Electron's third flight and the first of what the company intends to be monthly launches by the end of the year.
Rocket Lab's Electron rocket is relatively small. At almost 17 metres tall, it's a fraction of the height of SpaceX's 70-metre-tall Falcon 9. But Electron aims to deliver small satellites between 150kg and 225kg into low Earth orbit at a lower price.
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New Zealand officially joined the space race in May last year, thanks to a successful launch by Rocket Lab. Previous attempts at launches had been delayed by poor weather.
Every day for the next 14 days, the Rocket Lab will attempt a launch within a four-hour window between 12:30pm and 4:30pm.
Low temperatures could be an issue for the launch, but on Wednesday a Rocket Lab spokesperson said "clear skies and a lack of high altitude are ideal launching conditions".
Newshub.