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Rocket Lab launches NASA's first dedicated cubesat mission
Rocket Lab isn't quite done establishing firsts. The company has successfully launched ElaNa-19 (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites), NASA's first cubesat mission to get a dedicated ride to space. Until now, the agency's tiny satellites have piggybacked on missions carrying larger payloads. It's also the first Venture Class Launch Services mission for the company, and the first time Rocket Lab has conducted two launches that are relatively close together. Its initial commercial flight, "It's Business Time," lifted off five weeks ago.
Rocket Lab completes its first commercial launch
After months of delays, Rocket Lab has completed its first commercial mission. The spaceflight startup successfully launched its Electron rocket into orbit carrying six small satellites, including five cubesats as well as a small weather satellite. The vessel also carried a payload that stuck to the upper stage to help test deorbiting technology.
Rocket Lab selects NASA's Virginia facility as its US spaceport
Today, small launch vehicle startup Rocket Lab announced the site of its new US spaceport. The Electron rocket will launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, located in Virginia. The launch site will be called Launch Complex 2; Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 is located in New Zealand.
After Math: Space Farce
It takes a special breed of bureaucrat to look upon the majesty of the cosmos and think to themself, "man, I can't wait to get up there and start a war," but these are the times in which we live. So while the Trump administration spent this week eyeing the stars for something to shoot, NASA and the private space industry continued in their missions to explore the solar system without blowing everything up along the way.
Rocket Lab will launch two missions in less than two months
Today, launch vehicle startup Rocket Lab announced that it will launch two missions within just a few weeks of one another later this year. It's Business Time is scheduled for launch in November, while ELaNA-XIX, N NASA's 19th Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, is timed for December. Both missions will launch from the company's New Zealand-based spaceport.
Rocket Lab eyes a US spaceport for its Electron launch vehicle
Rocket Lab is a small startup that currently launches out of New Zealand, but its rockets may make their way stateside. The company has shortlisted four US-based spaceports to launch its Electron rocket. The sites are Cape Canaveral, Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska. Rocket Lab will make a final decision on the location of Launch Complex 2 in August.
Rocket Lab will try to launch its first commercial mission this month
New Zealand based launch company Rocket Lab has had multiple successful test drives, and now it's ready for the real thing. The company announced this morning that its first commercial launch is scheduled to occur this month. The launch window will open on April 20th and will last for 14 days. The Electron rocket will lift off from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia peninsula in New Zealand.
Rocket Lab reaches orbit for the first time
Rocket Lab has reached orbit for the first time, even though it's only the private space company's second flight. Even more impressive? The test mission, dubbed "Still Testing," had three customer satellites in tow: one is an Earth-imaging satellite, while the other two will track weather and boats. By successfully sending those satellites to orbit, the company has proven that its Electron rocket flights are a viable low-cost alternative for companies that want to send small payloads to space.
Rocket Lab schedules second Electron test launch for December 8th
On Friday, December 8th at 2:30 PM New Zealand time (8:30 PM ET), a 10-day window will open for a launch of Rocket Lab's Electron rocket. The window will be open for four hours each day. This second test is called "Still Testing"; the rocket will launch from the company's facility on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula. It will be the first launch that Rocket Lab has live streamed to the public.
Rocket Lab’s second test launch will deliver a payload to orbit
Small satellite launcher Rocket Lab's first test flight in May was mostly a success, and now it's ready for a second round. The New Zealand-based startup will begin the final tests on its Electron launch vehicle next month. The launch window will open soon after these tests are scheduled for completion, the company said.
Moon Express details plans to mine the moon with robots by 2020
Spaceflight company Moon Express has released its plans to mine the moon with robots and it aims to get started by 2020. The company was founded in 2010 with the aim of winning the Google Lunar Xprize -- a competition to get privately funded spacecraft on the moon. And while it still has its sights on that prize, Moon Express has planned beyond that and has laid out a strategy for establishing its lunar outpost in just a few years.
Rocket Lab nails first orbital rocket launch from a private pad
Rocket Lab has successfully launched its 56-foot-tall Electron rocket for the first time. The relatively tiny vehicle, designed to ferry small payloads to orbit, reached outer space around 20 minutes past midnight (Eastern time) on May 25th. Rocket Lab opened its 10-day launch window on May 21st and had to scrub three times due to poor weather conditions. Now that Electron was finally able to head outside our planet's atmosphere, the company also became the first to launch an orbital-class rocket from a private facility.
Rocket Lab is almost ready to take small payloads into space
Rocket Lab is ready to start testing the rocket it developed to ferry small payloads to space. The US- and New Zealand-based company has decided to launch its Electron rocket anytime within a 10-day window that starts at 5PM Eastern on May 21st. It will be the first time a space vehicle will take off from a private launch facility, which the company built on the Mahia peninsula in New Zealand. As with any launch, the exact time all depends on the weather and rocket's condition.
Future commercial satellites will be launched from New Zealand
New Zealand has been chosen as the home for what's likely to be the world's first private satellite launchpad. Rocket Lab, makers of the first 3D-printed rocket engine, has announced that it'll build a facility on the Kaitorete Split near Christchurch. It's a popular location for space launches and has been used by NASA to get craft into suborbital flight. Rocket Lab's idea is that a permanent base in the area will enable it to offer satellite launches for a fraction of the going rate.
