Rocket Lab Completes Final Launch Rehearsal Ahead of First Electron Mission from U.S. Soil
November 21 2022 - 04:15PM
Business Wire
With rocket and launch pad checkouts complete,
Rocket Lab is ready for its first mission from U.S. soil at Launch
Complex 2 in Virginia
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the
Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, today
confirmed it has completed a final launch rehearsal and is ready
for lift-off for its first mission from U.S. soil as early as
December 7. The mission will take place from Rocket Lab Launch
Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport
within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility – a launch pad developed to
support U.S. Electron missions for government and commercial
customers.
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Rocket Lab's Electron rocket on the pad
for wet dress rehearsal ahead of the Company's first U.S. launch.
Image credit: Trevor Mahlmann
Known as a Wet Dress Rehearsal, this pre-launch exercise sees
the launch team carry out the same activities and procedures they
will conduct on launch day to ensure the Electron rocket, launch
pad, and supporting systems are ready for flight. As part of the
rehearsal, Electron was rolled out to the launch pad and raised
vertically before it was loaded with fuel and liquid oxygen to
verify fuelling procedures. The launch team then conducted a full
launch countdown, ending before the final step of engine ignition
of Electron’s Rutherford engines. Electron was then detanked of
fuel and returned to Rocket Lab’s Integration and Control Facility
(ICF) at the Wallops Research Park to await launch during a window
that extends from December 7 – 20.
The “Virginia Is For Launch Lovers” mission will deploy three
satellites for radio frequency geospatial analytics provider
HawkEye 360, with integration of those satellites to Electron
taking place in the coming days at Rocket Lab’s ICF. Meanwhile,
NASA is continuing to make progress in certifying its Autonomous
Flight Termination System (AFTS) software required for the launch.
This will be the first time an AFTS will be flown from the
Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, representing a valuable new
capability for the nation.
While “Virginia Is For Launch Lovers” will be Electron’s first
launch from the U.S., Rocket Lab has already conducted 32 Electron
missions from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, delivering 152
satellites to orbit for customers including NASA, the National
Reconnaissance Office, DARPA, the U.S. Space Force and a range of
commercial constellation operators. Electron is already the most
frequently launched small orbital rocket globally and now with the
capacity of the pads at Launch Complex 1 and 2 combined, Rocket Lab
has more than 130 Electron launch opportunities every year.
The “Virginia Is For Launch Lovers” mission will be the first of
three Electron launches for HawkEye 360 in a contract that will see
Rocket Lab deliver 15 satellites to low Earth orbit between late
2022 and 2024. These missions will grow HawkEye 360’s constellation
of radio frequency monitoring satellites, enabling the company to
better deliver precise geolocation of radio frequency emissions
anywhere in the world.
“This mission is a significant moment for Rocket Lab and a
pivotal milestone for Virginia’s long legacy in spaceflight,” said
Rocket Lab CEO and founder, Peter Beck. “With wet dress rehearsal
now complete, we’re excited to move into launch operations for this
historic mission.”
“We are honored to support the launch of this historic mission,”
said Ted Mercer, CEO and Executive Director of Virginia Space. “In
addition to being Rocket Lab’s first and only U.S. launch location,
we will also be building rockets and processing their payload right
here in Accomack County – something that has never been done in
Virginia. Our partnership with Rocket Lab is a unique opportunity
for the Commonwealth of Virginia to create long-term economic
development opportunities in the form of high-paying jobs, launch
viewing tourism, and construction of new facilities on the Eastern
Shore.”
Where to watch launch:
Launch fans eager to watch Electron take to Virginia skies for
the first time can visit viewing locations including Robert Reed
Park on Main Street or Beach Road spanning the area between
Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. The Virginia, Maryland and
Delaware Atlantic beaches also provide good viewing locations. The
NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will be open for this launch. A live
launch webcast will also be available at
www.rocketlabusa.com/live-stream from around T-40 minutes.
Media may apply for credentials to cover the launch by emailing
a request to media@rocketlabusa.com
+ ABOUT Rocket Lab
Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with
an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable
launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and
on-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier and more
affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long Beach,
California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small
orbital launch vehicle, the Photon satellite platform and the
Company is developing the large Neutron launch vehicle for
constellation deployment. Since its first orbital launch in January
2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second
most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered 152
satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations,
enabling operations in national security, scientific research,
space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and
communications. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft platform has been
selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as
the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three
launch pads at two launch sites, including two launch pads at a
private orbital launch site located in New Zealand and a second
launch site in Virginia, USA which is expected to become
operational in 2022. To learn more, visit www.rocketlabusa.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221121005821/en/
+ Rocket Lab Media Contact Morgan Bailey
media@rocketlabusa.com
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