Tag: Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab Launches Earth-observing Radar Satellite to Orbit in 6th Mission for Japanese Company iQPS

SPACE reports, “Rocket Lab launched its sixth mission for the Japanese Earth-imaging company iQPS this afternoon (Nov. 5) from its seaside pad in New Zealand. An Electron rocket carrying the QPS-SAR-14 satellite, nicknamed Yachihoko-I, lifted off from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand site today at 2:51 p.m. EST (1951 GMT; 8:51 a.m. on Nov. 6. local New Zealand time).”
Full Story (SPACE)

Video

Rocket Lab launches Japanese Earth-observation satellite. (Launch occurs at the 00:10 mark)
VideoFromSpace; YouTube

Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 3 Opens in Virginia

Via Satellite reports, “Rocket Lab hosted the opening of its Launch Complex 3 in Virginia on Thursday. The site at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport will serve as the test, launch, and landing facility for its Neutron rocket in development. Rocket Lab built the site in less than two years after starting construction in late 2023. It is the company’s fourth launch site — the launcher has two pads at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, and also operates Launch Complex 2 at the Virginia spaceport.”
Full Story (Via Satellite)

Video

Rocket Lab hosts the opening of its Launch Complex 3
Rocket Lab; YouTube

Rocket Lab Launches Electron Rocket from New Zealand

SPACE reports Rocket Lab launched an Electron rocket from New Zealand on June 26. The rocket carried a trio of “radio frequency geolocation microsatellites and a fourth experimental satellite dubbed ‘Kestrel-0A’. The group was released into a polar low-Earth orbit (LEO) at an altitude of about 320 miles (520 kilometers).”
Full Story (SPACE)

 Video

Rocket Lab’s ‘Get The Hawk Outta Here’ Mission Launch (Launch takes place at the 18:37 mark)
NASA; YouTube

Rocket Lab Electron Rocket Launches Private Japanese Earth-observing Satellite

SPACE reports, “Rocket Lab launched an Earth-observing satellite for the Japanese company iQPS early Saturday morning (May 17). An Electron rocket lifted off from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand site on Saturday at 4:17 a.m. EDT (0817 GMT; 8:17 p.m. local New Zealand time).”
Full Story (SPACE)



 Video

Rocket Lab electron rocket launches private Japanese Earth-observing satellite. (Launch occurs at 19:29)
(Rocket Lab; YouTube)

US Space Force Selects Rocket Lab and Stoke Space to Compete for Future National Security Launches

SPACE reports, “Private launch companies Rocket Lab and Stoke Space have been selected to compete for future U.S. national security space launches. The two launch companies were awarded ‘National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 contracts’ by the U.S. Space Force on March 27, broadening the military branch’s launch options and strengthening access to space.”
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Rocket Lab Successfully Launches BlackSky Gen-3 Satellite

Spaceflight Now reports, “Update 7:16 p.m. EST (0016 UTC): Rocket Lab confirms a successful payload deployment. Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) completed its second Electron rocket of the month and its 60th to date. The flight carried with it the first of BlackSky’s Gen-3 Earth imaging and analytics gathering satellites. Liftoff of the mission, dubbed ‘Fasten Your Space Belts,’ from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand happened at 12:17 p.m. NZDT on Feb. 19 (6:17 p.m. EST, 2317 UCT on Feb. 18).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Germany’s OroraTech Partners with Rocket Lab for “Responsive Launch”

Spaceflight Now reports, “A new batch of eight fire detection satellites are getting ready to launch into low Earth orbit in what Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) described as a ‘responsive launch.’ The dedicated flight is expected to launch from New Zealand in ‘just a few weeks’ and will be the first OTC-P1 satellites deployed on behalf of German company, Orora Technologies (OroraTech).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Rocket Lab’s Next Electron Launch Window Opens February 4

Yahoo Finance reports, “Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (‘Rocket Lab’ or the ‘Company’) (Nasdaq: RKLB), a leading launch provider and space systems company, today announced it has scheduled the next Electron launch for Kinéis, a global Internet-of-Things (IoT) connectivity provider. The ‘IOT 4 You and Me’ mission is scheduled to launch during window that opens on February 4th NZDT.
Full Story (Yahoo Finance)

Rocket Lab to Launch a Private Earth-imaging Satellite This Morning

SPACE reports, “Rocket Lab plans to launch an Earth-observing radar satellite this morning (Dec. 20). An Electron rocket is scheduled to lift off from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand site today, during a 75-minute window that opens at 9:00 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT; 3:00 a.m. on Dec. 21 local New Zealand time).”
Full Story (SPACE)

Update from SPACE at 9:45 a.m. ET: “Today’s launch attempt was scrubbed with around 17 minutes left in the countdown. Rocket Lab has not yet set a new launch date.”

Rocket Lab Moves Forward with Suborbital Hypersonic Technology Initiative

Seeking Alpha reports, “Rocket Lab USA announced late on Tuesday that it successfully launched a suborbital mission in November to test hypersonic technology for the Department of Defense. Hypersonic technology refers to vehicles and systems capable of traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound12. These systems operate in a unique aerodynamic regime characterized by extreme temperatures, thin shock layers, and complex air flows.”
Full Story (Seeking Alpha)