Tag: Rocket Lab
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Space Force awards $87.5M to Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, SpaceX and ULA for testing
An artist’s conception shows Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket on the rise. (Blue Origin Illustration) The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command today announced awards totaling $87.5 million to support prototype commercial projects relating to next-generation rocket testing and enhancements to make upper stages more resilient. The awards were made under the aegis of the…
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Inside Varda Space’s plans to revolutionize in-space manufacturing
The idea of manufacturing commodities in space is not a novel concept. The International Space Station — humanity’s hub for research and development in microgravity — has hosted several research payloads which have produced optic fibers and even 3D printed stem cells. These may have the potential of printing entire human organs in space, saving…
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NASA, Rocket Lab move first Artemis Moon launch – CAPSTONE – to New Zealand
New Zealand is now set to host the first launch of the Artemis Program, as Rocket Lab is now planning to launch the CAPSTONE mission from their operational launch pad at Launch Complex 1 on the Māhia Peninsula. This is the first lunar mission for Rocket Lab, currently scheduled for launch in the fourth quarter…
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Rocket Lab returns Electron to flight with dedicated US Space Force mission
Rocket Lab conducted the 21st flight of its Electron small satellite launch vehicle, a return to flight mission following a failure over two months ago. The launch carried a satellite for the United States Space Force on a dedicated trip. Electron launched at the opening of the launch window at 06:00 UTC Thursday. Electron lifted-off…
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Rocket Lab suffers failure on Electron’s 20th mission
Rocket Lab conducted its twentieth launch of an Electron rocket, named “Running Out of Toes,” carrying two Earth-observation satellites for BlackSky’s global monitoring constellation. The mission also included a successful attempt to recover an Electron first stage for the second time after a soft splashdown in the Māhia Recovery Zone in the Pacific Ocean. This…
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BlackSky Earth-observing satellites lost due to anomaly during Rocket Lab launch
Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle rises from its pad in New Zealand. (Rocket Lab via YouTube) Two satellites for BlackSky’s Earth observation constellation were lost today when the second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle suffered an anomaly, just minutes after liftoff from New Zealand. Rocket Lab said the mission failure was under investigation.…
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Seattle’s satellite industry plays leading role in BlackSky’s Earth-observing network
The two BlackSky satellites that were launched, and lost, during a Rocket Lab mission are seen here at LeoStella’s satellite factory being prepared for shipment to New Zealand in March. (LeoStella Photo) Update for 6:30 a.m. PT May 15: Two BlackSky satellites were lost when the second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket suffered an…
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BlackSky’s latest satellite delivers first images (and AI insights) hours after launch
One of the first pictures from the BlackSky 7 satellite zeroed in on Perth, Australia, and the city’s billion-dollar Waterbank development site. Click on the image for a larger version. (BlackSky Photo) That didn’t take long: BlackSky says the latest Earth observation satellite in its growing constellation delivered its first imagery less than a day…
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Rocket Lab launches Photon pathfinder on They Go Up So Fast
The 19th flight of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket, named They Go Up So Fast, lifted off on Monday, March 22 at 22:30 UTC. On board the mission were six customer satellites and an internal Photon pathfinder satellite named Pathstone, which will gain flight heritage ahead of future Photon missions to the moon and Venus. The…
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Rocket Lab reveals reusable, medium-lift Neutron rocket
To date, Rocket Lab has successfully introduced the first dedicated small satellite launch vehicle, Electron, which CEO Peter Beck said would never be reusable. Then, the company successfully recovered a first stage. Now, Beck says Rocket Lab is ready to do something else he previously said they’d never do: build a big rocket. The Neutron…