Rocket Lab prepares to launch two dedicated
Electron missions in March from the Company’s two launch sites
across Virginia and New Zealand
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the
Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, today
announced it is preparing to launch two dedicated missions in March
from the Company’s launch sites in the United States and New
Zealand - within days of each other.
One Electron rocket is ready and in position at Rocket Lab
Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand to deploy satellites for
Spaceflight Inc. customer BlackSky (NYSE: BKSY), a real-time
geospatial intelligence company. Meanwhile, a second rocket is
simultaneously undergoing final launch preparations at Launch
Complex 2 in Virginia to deploy satellites for American space tech
company Capella Space, the world’s leading provider of commercial
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery.
Both launches are scheduled to take place in March with the
launch windows to be finalized based on individual customer and
range requirements; however, both missions are expected to launch
within days of each other. Capella Space’s two satellites have been
integrated to Electron at Launch Complex 2 and are ready for
launch, while BlackSky’s two satellites are undergoing final check
outs before integration to Electron at Launch Complex 1. Rocket Lab
has also completed a Wet Dress Rehearsal at Launch Complex 2 and
the mission is now awaiting range clearances from NASA and the FAA
to proceed with launch. Meanwhile, Launch Complex 1’s Wet Dress
Rehearsal is scheduled to take place in the coming days.
Running simultaneous launch campaigns across two continents once
again demonstrates Rocket Lab’s ability to deliver responsive and
flexible launch solutions to the small satellite market. The
upcoming missions are expected to best Rocket Lab’s previous launch
turnaround record set at Launch Complex 1 in 2022 when Rocket Lab
launched the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon for NASA followed by a
dedicated mission for the National Reconnaissance Office 15 days
later.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck says: “The ability to run
simultaneous launch campaigns and deliver a rapid launch cadence is
exactly what Electron and our launch sites were built for. We’re
dedicated to serving the responsive space needs of our customers
across commercial and government space. It’s not a capability we’re
promising in the future, it’s a reality that we’re delivering on
right now.”
About the Capella Space Launch Mission Name:
Stronger Together Payload: Two SAR satellites Launch
Site: Launch Complex 2, Wallops Island, Virginia, USA
Rocket Lab will deliver to orbit two SAR satellites for San
Francisco-based Capella Space. Capella provides the best quality,
high-resolution SAR imagery to customers globally for a wide range
of government and commercial applications. The “Stronger Together”
mission carrying Capella Space’s two 100-kg class satellites will
expand Capella’s existing SAR constellation, increasing imaging
capacity to meet growing customer demand. Capella Space delivers
the highest-quality, highest-resolution SAR imagery commercially
available with the fastest order-to-delivery time, empowering
organizations across the public and private sector to make
informed, accurate decisions. Its satellite imaging technology can
penetrate all weather conditions and capture clear imagery 24-7,
day and night, delivering accurate and timely data about what is
happening across the Earth at any given moment. With this latest
launch into low Earth orbit, Capella Space will expand its
market-leading SAR satellite constellation in response to increased
customer demand for SAR data.
Rocket Lab has delivered a Capella satellite to space previously
on the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Optical” mission in August 2020.
Supporting Rocket Lab’s vertical integration strategy, Rocket Lab
will also supply Capella Space with two of the Company’s own
Motorized Lightbands; separation systems designed to separate the
Capella satellites from Electron once in orbit.
About the BlackSky Launch Mission Name: The Beat
Goes On Payload: Two Earth-imaging satellites Launch
Site: Launch Complex 1, Mahia, New Zealand
Rocket Lab will deliver to orbit two Earth-imaging satellites
for BlackSky through global launch services provider Spaceflight,
Inc. “The Beat Goes On” mission will deliver BlackSky’s
high-resolution Gen-2 satellites to low Earth orbit, adding
capacity to the company’s real-time geospatial intelligence and
monitoring capabilities. BlackSky delivers on-demand,
high-frequency imagery, monitoring, and analytics of the most
critical and strategic locations, economic assets, and events in
the world.
“The Beat Goes On” is the final mission of a multi-launch
agreement with launch services provider Spaceflight, Inc., who
managed the integration and launch services for BlackSky. As part
of the agreement, BlackSky satellites have been launched on five
previous Electron missions since 2021. Rocket Lab also delivered
two BlackSky satellites to orbit prior to 2021, bringing the total
number of BlackSky satellites deployed to orbit by Electron to
nine.
Rocket Lab is also expecting to conduct a marine recovery
operation for this mission to return the Electron first stage to
its manufacturing facilities after launch.
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 and the Photon satellite platform and is
developing the Neutron 13-ton payload class launch vehicle. 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 155 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 third launch site in
Virginia, USA. To learn more, visit www.rocketlabusa.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
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. 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 press 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, 2022, which was
filed with the SEC on February 28, 2023, 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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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006250/en/
Rocket Lab Media Contact Murielle Baker
media@rocketlabusa.com
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