Rocket Lab to Launch NRO Mission from Wallops, Virginia
February 21 2024 - 6:10AM
Business Wire
The mission will be Rocket Lab’s first NRO
launch from Wallops, Virginia, following four previous successful
launches for the agency from New Zealand
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the
Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems,
today announced it will launch a dedicated mission for the National
Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Launch Complex 2 in Wallops,
Virginia, during a launch window that opens March 20th, 2024.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240221784403/en/
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket on the
launch pad in Wallops, Virginia. Image Credit: Brady Kenniston
The NROL-123 mission, called ‘Live and Let Fly’, will be Rocket
Lab’s first launch for the NRO from the United States after
previously launching four NRO missions from Launch Complex 1 on New
Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. It will be Rocket Lab’s 4th mission from
Launch Complex 2, a dedicated pad for the Electron rocket located
at Virginia Spaceport Authority's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport
within the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
“Electron has been providing reliable access to orbit for the
NRO since 2020 and we’re honored to once again provide critical
launch capability, this time from U.S. soil,” said Rocket Lab
founder and CEO Peter Beck. “The ability to reliably launch
national security missions from pads in two countries is a unique
one that offers a rare level of responsiveness and resiliency for
small satellite launch. We’re immensely proud to deliver this
capability to the NRO, enabling them to maintain the nation’s
advantage in space.”
The ‘Live and Let Fly’ launch service was acquired using NRO’s
Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract. RASR enables
the NRO to explore new opportunities for launching small satellites
through a streamlined, commercial approach. NRO missions provide
critical information to more than a half-million government users,
including every member of the Intelligence Community, two dozen
domestic agencies, the military, lawmakers, and decision
makers.
The launch will broadcast live at
www.rocketlabusa.com/live-stream. Media may apply for credentials
to cover the pre-launch and launch activities at Wallops by
emailing media@rocketlabusa.com by March 14, 2024.
The mission is scheduled to be Rocket Lab’s fourth launch of
2024 and 46th Electron launch overall.
+ 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, 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 177
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 third
launch pad in Virginia. To learn more, visit
www.rocketlabusa.com.
+ Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by
the safe harbor provisions for forward looking statements contained
in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements contained in
this press release other than statements of historical fact,
including, without limitation, statements regarding our launch and
space systems operations, launch schedule and window, safe and
repeatable access to space, Neutron development, operational
expansion and business strategy are forward-looking statements. The
words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “potential,”
“continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “strategy,” “future,”
“could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “target,” and similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements,
though not all forward-looking statements use these words or
expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees,
but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or
achievements to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by the
forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the
factors, risks and uncertainties included in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, as such
factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), accessible on
the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the Investor Relations section
of our website at www.rocketlabusa.com, which could cause our
actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the
forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such
forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates as of
the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such
forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim
any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views
to change.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240221784403/en/
+ Rocket Lab Media Contact Morgan Bailey
media@rocketlabusa.com
Rocket Lab USA (NASDAQ:RKLB)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Rocket Lab USA (NASDAQ:RKLB)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024