• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • News
  • Featured
  • More News ⌄
    • SatNews
    • SatMagazine
    • MilSatMagazine
  • Events ⌄
    • MilSat Symposium
    • SmallSat Symposium
    • Satellite Innovation
  • Contacts
  • SUBSCRIPTION

SmallSat News

You are here: Home / Featured / UPDATE 3: Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket pushes NROL-199 to the satellite’s assigned slot

UPDATE 3: Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket pushes NROL-199 to the satellite’s assigned slot

August 4, 2022 by editorial

The launch of the NROL-199 by Rocket Lab.
Rocket Lab’s ELECTRON launch vehicle on the pad.

At 05:00 UTC on August 4, 2022, Rocket Lab successfully launched the company’s second of two, back-to-back, national security missions for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Highlights of this mission include:

  • This mission follows the successful delivery to orbit of its predecessor NROL-162 three weeks earlier, launched on the “Wise One Looks Ahead” mission on July 13, 2022.
  • The launches of NROL-162 and NROL-199, combined with the successful launch of the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon for NASA on June 28, 2022, make up a record launch cadence for Rocket Lab of three successful Electron launches in just over five weeks.
  • The turnaround between NROL-162 and this NROL-199 launch is the shortest time between national security missions by a small launch provider, setting a new standard in responsive space.  

Previous mission postings…

Electron is on the pad and ready to launch a national security mission for the National Reconnaissance Office — the second of two missions for the NRO from a spaceport outside the United States.

Lift-off of NROL-199 was scheduled for:

  • UTC | 05:00, Aug 4
  • NZT | 17:00, Aug 4
  • EDT | 01:00, Aug
  • PDT | 22:00, Aug 3

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has confirmed that the second of two, back-to-back, national security launches for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), originally scheduled for August 2 UTC, is now pushed out to at least Thursday, August 4th, due to rather windy conditions.

Two Electron rockets @ Launch-Complex 1 prepped for NRO launches. Photo is courtesy of Rocket Lab.

The NROL-199 (“Antipodean Adventure”) mission was scheduled to lift-off from Pad B at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 during a launch window opening on August 2, 05:00 UTC. This Electron mission follows on from an earlier successful launch for the NRO on July 12, 2022 that deployed the NROL-162 national security payload to orbit.

The NROL-199 mission will launch a national security payload designed, built, and operated by the NRO in partnership with the Australian Department of Defence as part of a broad range of cooperative satellite activities with Australia. The satellites will support the NRO to provide critical information to government agencies and decision makers monitoring international issues

The mission was originally scheduled for lift-off on July 22; however, the launch was rescheduled to allow the NRO additional time to implement required payload software updates. This schedule shift demonstrated Rocket Lab’s responsive space capabilities, which provide customers with a high degree of flexibility over their mission, including orbit and launch timing. By operating a private launch complex, Rocket Lab doesn’t have to wait in a launch queue behind other operators and could instead quickly reschedule the launch to suit the NRO’s preferred timeline.

“Antipodean Adventure” launch details:

Launch Window Opens: August 02, 05:00 UTC
Launch vehicle: Electron
Customer: National Reconnaissance Office
Launch site: Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Pad B
Mission type: Dedicated
Payload: NROL-199

Filed Under: Featured, News

Primary Sidebar

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019

© 2019–2023 SatNews

x
Sign Up Now!

Enjoy a free weekly newsletter with recent headlines from the global SmallSat industry.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing! You will now receive weekly SmallSat News updates.
We love our advertisers.
And you will too!

Please disable Ad Blocker to continue... We promise to keep it unobtrusive.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.