Rocket Lab’s MAX Flight Software Surpasses 50th Mission Milestone
July 14 2022 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
The revolutionary off-the-shelf flight software has now enabled
more than 50 missions on orbit
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the
Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, achieved a
major milestone in Q2 with its MAX Flight Software now operating on
53 spacecraft, for a cumulative 161 years in space.
Developed by Colorado-based Advanced Solutions Inc (ASI), which
was acquired by Rocket Lab in October 2021, the off-the-shelf
spacecraft flight software, MAX, supports a wide range of missions
and all spacecraft subsystems including command and telemetry,
sequencing, GN&C, fault protection, built-in closed loop
simulation, and more. MAX Flight Software is used by leading
aerospace prime contractors, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. DOD
organizations, NASA, and commercial spacecraft developers and
operators.
Included in the 53 spacecraft operating MAX Flight Software is
Rocket Lab’s Lunar Photon, which deployed NASA's CAPSTONE
spacecraft to the Moon, launched on June 28th, 2022. MAX Flight
Software will also feature in several upcoming Rocket Lab missions,
including Photons under development for missions to Mars and
Venus.
“MAX Flight Software is enabling some of the most ambitious
space missions in recent history, from Lunar landers and orbiters
to asteroid missions and commercial constellations,” said Rocket
Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck. “Flight software is a vital part of
every space mission and the ASI team revolutionized it by creating
an off-the-shelf flight software that can be adapted to a wide
range of missions. Now with the support and resources of Rocket Lab
behind the team, we look forward to delivering on the next 50
missions and then some, delivering industry-leading flight software
products to our global customers at scale.”
To support growing customer demand for flight software, mission
simulation, and Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) services,
Rocket Lab is expanding into a new space system complex in
Littleton, Colorado. The new complex will be established near
Rocket Lab’s existing 15,000 sq. ft. location on Shaffer Parkway in
Littleton and will add 40,000 sq. ft. of new lab, production, and
office space. The complex is expected to be completed by late 2022
and will include two mission operations centers. The expansion will
also support team growth, with Rocket Lab’s Colorado headcount
expected to double to more than 120 people by early 2023 with roles
spanning flight software development, GNC, spacecraft simulation,
and systems engineering.
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 8-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 148 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, USA which is expected to become operational in 2022. To
learn more, visit www.rocketlabusa.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220714005261/en/
Rocket Lab Media Contact Mike Atchue media@rocketlabusa.com
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