After years of launching rockets from New Zealand, the commercial space company is ready for a US launch.
The first mission from the US will be launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The launch will take place during a two-hour window that opens at 6 pm. You can see it live in the window above. About 40 minutes before liftoff, rocket lab will begin its launch webcast.
Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab, told reporters in a pre-launch briefing that this is a significant milestone for the company. It feels good to be here. The liftoff was delayed for extra checks, weather and final flight paperwork, but was supposed to take place in December.
There is a chance that the first US launch by Rocket Lab may be visible on the East Coast.
The visibility of the launch of the rocket lab!
Millions of people could see the first US launch from the East Coast. Where and when to look are listed here. Let us know if you see it with photos and comments at space photos@space.com.
Sunday's launch, called "Virginia Is For Launch Lovers", will mark the beginning of a new age of flexibility for Rocket Lab as it aims to serve customers around the world. NASA and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport oversaw commercial launches from Wallops to develop the new pad.
The two pads at the launch complex 1 on the coast of New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula have been used to fly missions. Beck said that a U.S. launch pad would allow the company to launch missions for customers who need a U.S. launch.
The first mission from the launch complex was supposed to be in 2020. The first flight was delayed for two years due to delays in NASA's development of a new safety system. The company calls the version of the NASA system it uses "Pegs" and it is used for its Electron flights.
The director of the Wallops Flight Facility told reporters that there were errors in the NASA system that caused the delay. The FAA and NASA signed off on the final launch paperwork on Saturday after completing their certification of the system.
It's been a Herculean effort to get us to this point, which I view as a turning point in launch range operation, not just at Wallops, but across the United States.
The Virginia Is For Launch Lovers mission is the first flight for the Virginia-based company, which is building a constellation of small satellites. 15 small satellites will be lofted into the sky by 2024 under a multi-launch agreement.
The company will be able to deliver precise mapping of radio frequency emissions anywhere in the world as a result of these missions.
We’re ticking off some big firsts for Electron this week:✅ First mission from U.S. soil✅ First mission for @hawkeye360✅ First mission with an Autonomous Flight Termination System at WallopsVirginia Is For Launch Lovers flying NET Dec 15. Stay tuned for weather updates pic.twitter.com/P7Dlq0X01hDecember 13, 2022
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One Electron mission a month is what Rocket Lab hopes to achieve. A new, larger rocket called Neutron is being built by the company. It is expected that the first flight of that rocket will take place no later than 24 years from now.
The basics of preparing a rocket at the new U.S. pad will be carried over to the new Neutron program, according to Beck. A rocket facility is being built in Virginia.
Beck thinks there's been a lot of learning from that. The next few launches will be much simpler.
He said that Electron needed to ace its first flight.
Beck said that the rocket is ready to launch. The team is prepared and ready to go.
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