Rocket Lab USA, Inc., a global leader in launch services and space systems, successfully launched a dedicated mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia.
The NROL-123 mission, called ‘Live and Let Fly’, was launched on a Rocket Lab Electron launch vehicle at 03:25 EDT on March 21, 2024. The mission was 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 was also Rocket Lab’s 4th mission from Launch Complex 2 within Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
“We are proud to once again deliver mission success for the NRO on Electron,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck. “The NRO have placed their trust in Rocket Lab since our first launch together in 2020 and it’s an honor to continue delivering dedicated access to orbit for national security missions, this time from the other side of the planet. The RASR contract process is an innovative, forward-leaning approach from the NRO that has allowed the agency to capitalize on the speed and responsiveness of commercial launch services and we’re thrilled to make it possible with Electron.”
The 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.
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 more than 180 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.