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Rocket Lab would need to develop a heavier Neutron variant to cover all NSSL payload requirements, which the company estimates would require roughly $1,000,000,000 in investment.
Virginia Space will support Rocket Lab launches from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.
NASA Wallops and the Federal Aviation Administration required additional time to complete regulatory documentation, which compressed the available December 2022 launch window for Rocket Lab’s mission.
The mission is the first of three Electron launches for HawkEye 360 under a contract in which Rocket Lab will deliver 15 satellites to low Earth orbit by the end of 2024.
Rocket Lab’s new Electron launch pad at Wallops, Virginia provides a domestic capability suited for launching mid-latitude satellite clusters for customers such as HawkEye 360.
Rocket Lab scheduled the launch window for its first Electron mission from U.S. soil to open on 2023-01-23 with back-up dates extending through early 2023-02-01.
Rocket Lab originally scheduled the Virginia Is For Launch Lovers mission for December 2022 but adjusted the launch to January 2023 after unfavorable weather and compressed regulatory scheduling reduced the December launch window.
Rocket Lab prepared for an Electron lift-off on 2022-12-07 that was moved to 2022-12-18 due to incomplete FAA and NASA range paperwork.
Rocket Lab has the capacity to launch from Launch Complex 1 and Launch Complex 2 combined and has more than 130 Electron launch opportunities every year.
Rocket Lab previously conducted 32 Electron missions from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand that delivered 152 satellites to orbit.
This mission will launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.
New Zealand increased Rocket Lab Electron launches from one in 2017 to nine in 2022.
StriX-1 was launched by Rocket Lab’s Electron from New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula launch site on 2022-09-16 (JST).
StriX-1 was launched by Rocket Lab’s Electron from New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula launch site on 2022-09-16 (JST).
Spaceflight Inc. worked with launch vehicle providers SpaceX, Rocket Lab, PSLV/NSIL, and Astra in 2022.
Before this delay, Rocket Lab planned four to six Electron launches in 2023 from Wallops.
2022-12-20 was the last opportunity for Rocket Lab to launch before holiday airspace restrictions went into effect.
Rocket Lab postponed a planned 2022-12-16 launch by two days to allow NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration to complete range-driven documentation.
Rocket Lab expects to conduct four to six Electron launches from Wallops in 2023 out of 14 Electron launches overall.
Rocket Lab is building a factory just outside the Wallops gates to produce its Neutron reusable vehicle.