Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) has secured a multi-launch deal for a rapid succession of four, Electron missions for Capella Space.
Scheduled for launch starting in the second half of 2023, each Electron mission will deploy a single Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Earth-imaging, Acadia satellite, a new generation satellite designed, manufactured, and operated by Capella Space, to LEO. These missions, scheduled to launch in quick succession, will follow an existing launch on the Rocket Lab manifest for Capella Space, the “Stronger Together” mission that is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia, in March of 2023. Capella Space is a returning customer to Electron, with Rocket Lab having launched a dedicated mission for the SAR company in August of 2020.
The four, newly-signed missions are planned to lift-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand — however, Rocket Lab has provided Capella Space with the flexibility to move any of the missions to Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia, if required as the mission campaigns progress in order to meet optimum customer and mission requirements.
By operating three orbital launch pads across two continents, Rocket Lab’s responsive and flexible launch solution enables assured access to orbit for Capella Space to quickly and reliably increase their constellation’s capacity and orbital diversity to meet growing demands for its SAR imagery and analysis.
In addition to providing the launch service, each Capella Space mission will feature separation systems produced by Rocket Lab in line with the Company’s vertical integration strategy.
Rocket Lab CEO and founder, Peter Beck, said, “We delivered mission success for Capella in our first mission for them in 2020 and now we’re thrilled they’ve entrusted us with a further five missions to help expand their growing SAR constellation. We’re proud to provide the team at Capella with a reliable ride to space, combined with the flexibility of two launch sites in different hemispheres to enable flexibility and responsiveness.”
Capella Space CEO and founder, Payam Banazadeh, said, “We are experiencing increased market demand for our highest-quality SAR data, and this announcement underscores Capella’s strong commitment to our global customers across the defence and intelligence and commercial markets. We are excited for the multiple launches with Rocket Lab, including the introduction of our new generation Acadia satellite technology, to further enhance our market-leading capabilities of high-frequency, best quality SAR imagery with the fastest order-to-delivery speeds of any commercial SAR provider.”