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You are here: Home / News / Rocket Lab prepares for 1st Launch from Virginia

Rocket Lab prepares for 1st Launch from Virginia

January 24, 2023 by editorial

Rocket Lab Electron launch vehicle at LC-2. Photo is courtesy of Brady Kenniston.

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) is proceeding with a launch attempt on January 24th of their first Electron mission from U.S. soil.

Rocket Lab Electron being prepared for launch. Photo is courtesy of the company.

The ‘Virginia Is For Launch Lovers’ mission is scheduled to launch Tuesday, January 24th, from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility – a U.S. launch pad for Electron missions that serves government and commercial satellite customers. The launch window for the mission extends from 18:00-20:00 EST / 23:00-01:00 UTC.

The mission is Rocket Lab’s 33rd Electron launch and will deploy three satellites for HawkEye 360, a radio frequency geospatial analytics provider. This upcoming launch is the first of three missions for HawkEye 360 scheduled to be carried out by Rocket Lab in 2023 and 2024. The multi-launch contract to deliver 15 satellites to LEO will grow HawkEye 360’s constellation of radio frequency monitoring satellites to better provide geolocation of radio emissions anywhere in the world.

As the world’s most frequently launched small orbital rocket, Electron has already delivered 152 satellites to space across 32 missions launched from the company’s private launch site, Launch Complex 1, in New Zealand. Previous Electron missions have deployed satellites for NASA, the National Reconnaissance Office, DARPA, the U.S. Space Force and a range of commercial constellation operators.

‘Virginia Is For Launch Lovers’ mission details:

  • Launch scheduled for | Tuesday January 24, 2023 (back-up opportunities through early Feb.)
  • Launch window | 18:00-20:00 EST
  • Launch site | Launch Complex 2, Wallops Island, Virginia
  • Customer | HawkEye 360
  • Payloads | Three satellites
  • Orbit | 550 km LEO

A live webcast of the launch will stream live from T-40 minutes at this direct link…

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.

Filed Under: News

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