Mariposa-1 cubesat reaches polar orbit on debut Halcyon launch

A fictional 6U cubesat carrying a hyperspectral methane sensor reached a 540 km sun-synchronous orbit on April 2, 2026, aboard the maiden flight of the Halcyon launch vehicle.

Lede

WAILUKU, Hawaii, April 2, 2026 — Mariposa-1, a 6U cubesat carrying a hyperspectral methane sensor, reached its target 540 km sun-synchronous orbit at 14:08 UTC today, becoming the primary payload of the maiden flight of the Halcyon launch vehicle. Halcyon is operated by the Wailuku-based startup Wave Origin.

Vehicle

Halcyon is a two-stage methalox vehicle standing 19 meters tall with a 1.6 meter core diameter. Its first stage carries seven Wave Origin Forge-1 engines producing a combined 760 kN of sea-level thrust. The second stage uses a single vacuum-optimized Forge-1V. The vehicle is designed to deliver 220 kg to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit.

Payload

Mariposa-1 was built by the University of Bergen's Earth Atmospheres Lab in collaboration with Norway's NORSAT program. Its payload is a 9-channel hyperspectral imager covering the 1.6–2.4 μm shortwave infrared range with a 30 meter ground sample distance. The mission targets persistent methane plumes from coal-mine ventilation shafts.

Outlook

Wave Origin has booked four additional Halcyon flights for 2026, including a rideshare in August carrying nine commercial cubesats. The company stated its target Halcyon list price is $4.8 million per dedicated launch, with rideshare slots offered from $18,000 per kilogram.

Key facts

  • Mariposa-1 reached a 540 km sun-synchronous orbit on April 2, 2026.
  • Mariposa-1 was the primary payload of the maiden flight of the Halcyon launch vehicle.
  • Halcyon is operated by Wave Origin, based in Wailuku, Hawaii.
  • Halcyon's first stage uses seven Forge-1 engines producing a combined 760 kN of sea-level thrust.
  • Halcyon is designed to deliver 220 kg to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit.
  • Mariposa-1 was built by the University of Bergen in collaboration with Norway's NORSAT program.
  • The hyperspectral imager has 9 channels in the 1.6–2.4 μm range with 30 meter ground sample distance.
  • Wave Origin's target Halcyon dedicated launch price is $4.8 million.
  • Halcyon rideshare slots are offered from $18,000 per kilogram.

Details

dateline
WAILUKU, Hawaii, April 2, 2026
orbit_km
540
vehicle
Halcyon
operator
Wave Origin
synthetic
true