Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab”), a leading
launch and space systems company, has today announced the launch
window for its first Electron mission from U.S. soil is scheduled
to open on January 23, 2023 with back-up dates extending through
early February. The daily launch opportunity runs from 6:00 pm –
8:00 pm EST (23:00 – 1:00 UTC).
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Rocket Lab's Electron rocket on the pad
at Launch Complex 2 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. Image
Credit: Brady Kenniston.
The “Virginia Is For Launch Lovers” mission will lift-off from
Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional
Spaceport within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility – a launch pad
developed to support Electron missions from U.S. soil for
government and commercial customers. The launch was originally
scheduled to launch in December 2022 but was adjusted to January
due to unfavorable weather conditions after NASA Wallops and the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required additional time to
complete essential regulatory documentation for launch compressed
the available launch window in December. With the necessary
licenses and approvals now secured, Rocket Lab is moving into
launch operations and is currently targeting the first day of the
window for launch, pending weather suitability.
The “Virginia Is For Launch Lovers” mission will deploy three
satellites for radio frequency geospatial analytics provider
HawkEye 360. The mission is the first of three Electron launches
for HawkEye 360 in a contract that will see Rocket Lab deliver 15
satellites to low Earth orbit by the end of 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.
“We’re incredibly excited about the capability we’re bringing to
Virginia by delivering responsive launch for our customers from
U.S. soil, and we’re also proud of the opportunities it creates for
the local community by creating highly-skilled jobs and bringing
high-tech manufacturing to the Eastern Shore,” said Rocket Lab
founder and CEO Peter Beck. “Electron has made history by becoming
the most launched small orbital rocket globally. With the support
of our partners at NASA and Virginia Space, we look forward to
building on this strong heritage of mission success with the first
of many missions from Wallops.”
Virginia Space CEO and Executive Director Ted Mercer said:
“Virginia Space is ready to support the launch of this historic
mission, the first of many. Our partnership with Rocket Lab and
NASA is bringing exciting changes to the Eastern Shore of Virginia
as we begin to launch Rocket Lab missions from the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Spaceport. This partnership creates long-term positive
economic impact across the region and cements the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Spaceport as a national asset for assured access to
space.”
"For our fifth cluster of next-generation satellites, we needed
optimal orbital flexibility and Rocket Lab’s new Electron launch
pad in Wallops, Virginia provides the perfect domestic capability,”
said CEO of HawkEye 360, John Serafini. “Rocket Lab’s inaugural
launch facilitates our first mid-latitude satellite cluster, which
will strengthen the diversity of our geospatial insights for our
government and commercial customers across the globe.”
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.
A live launch webcast will be available from around T-40 minutes
on launch day at www.rocketlabusa.com/live-stream
+ 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. To learn more, visit
www.rocketlabusa.com.
+ Forward Looking Statement
This press release may contain certain “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts,
contained in this release, including statements regarding our
expectations of financial results for the fourth quarter of 2022,
strategy, future operations, future financial position, projected
costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are
forward-looking statements. Words such as, but not limited to,
“anticipate,” “aim,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,”
“design,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,”
“possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,”
“suggest,” “strategy,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and similar
expressions or phrases, or the negative of those expressions or
phrases, are intended to identify forward-looking statements,
although not all forward-looking statements contain these
identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on
Rocket Lab’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future
developments and their potential effects. These forward-looking
statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (many of which
are beyond Rocket Lab’s control), or other assumptions that may
cause actual results or performance to be materially different from
those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially
from the forward-looking statements in this release, including
risks related to the global COVID-19 pandemic; risks related to
government restrictions and lock-downs in New Zealand and other
countries in which we operate that could delay or suspend our
operations; delays and disruptions in expansion efforts; our
dependence on a limited number of customers; the harsh and
unpredictable environment of space in which our products operate
which could adversely affect our launch vehicle and spacecraft;
increased congestion from the proliferation of low Earth orbit
constellations which could materially increase the risk of
potential collision with space debris or another spacecraft and
limit or impair our launch flexibility and/or access to our own
orbital slots; increased competition in our industry due in part to
rapid technological development and decreasing costs; technological
change in our industry which we may not be able to keep up with or
which may render our services uncompetitive; average selling price
trends; failure of our launch vehicles, spacecraft and components
to operate as intended either due to our error in design in
production or through no fault of our own; launch schedule
disruptions; supply chain disruptions, product delays or failures;
design and engineering flaws; launch failures; natural disasters
and epidemics or pandemics; changes in governmental regulations
including with respect to trade and export restrictions, or in the
status of our regulatory approvals or applications; or other events
that force us to cancel or reschedule launches, including customer
contractual rescheduling and termination rights; risks that
acquisitions may not be completed on the anticipated time frame or
at all or do not achieve the anticipated benefits and results; and
the other risks detailed from time to time in Rocket Lab’s filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including
under the heading “Risk Factors” in Rocket Lab’s Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, which was
filed with the SEC on March 24, 2022, and elsewhere (including that
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may also exacerbate the risks
discussed therein). There can be no assurance that the future
developments affecting Rocket Lab will be those that we have
anticipated. Except as required by law, Rocket Lab is not
undertaking any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
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+ Rocket Lab Media Contact Morgan Bailey
media@rocketlabusa.com
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