Saturday launch hopes: Will Rocket Lab fly today?

Rocket Lab will stage another launch window today, weather permitting on Mahia Peninsula. Photo File

A Mahia Peninsula rocket launch abandoned on Thursday could take place late today.

A launch window of 4.43-6.32pm has been set with Rocket Lab hoping for better conditions than the winds which led to the abandonment at the death knell just after 6.30pm on Thursday, the first day of a fortnight set aside for the launch.

Payloads for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Canberra Space will be deployed.

The launch will enable university research into Earth's magnetic field, support the testing of new smallsat communications architecture and demonstrate a streamlined, commercial approach for getting government small satellites into space.

The mission, originally scheduled for March 27, has been delayed due to Covid-19.

Onboard the rocket includes several small satellites, including the ANDESITE (Ad-Hoc Network Demonstration for Extended Satellite-Based Inquiry and Other Team Endeavors) satellite created by electrical and mechanical engineering students and professors at Boston University. The satellite will launch as part of NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) and will conduct groundbreaking scientific study into Earth's magnetic field.