October 17, 2018: Rocket Lab, the New Zealand-based launch startup, just announced Wallops Island, Virginia as its choice for a site to launch rockets from the U.S. Wallops won out over finalists Vandenberg Air Force Base (California), the Pacific Spaceport Complex (Alaska), and Cape Canaveral (Florida). The company cited the relatively quiet nature of Wallops as an appealing fact, whereas SpaceX and others are busy upping their launch schedules at some of those other sites. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below It's been a down-and-then-up last five years for Wallops Island. As we wrote in this piece back in 2013, the place had a long history in launch as the oldest continuous rocket launch range in the United States, but nearly shuttered in the 1990s. In 2014, an uncrewed Orbital Antares rocket headed to resupply the International Space Station blew up and caused millions of dollars of damage to Wallops. NASA swooped in to bring Wallops back to life, and the spaceport was soon up … [Read more...] about Rocket Lab Chooses Wallops Island, Virginia as American Launch Site
Rocket labs
Rocket Lab selects NASA’s Virginia facility as its US spaceport
Rocket Lab announced that it was searching for a US site to launch its small rockets back in July. It was looking at four different facilities: Cape Canaveral, Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska. The company made its final decision based on time for launch pad development, customizability for the Electron launch vehicle, whether it could support 12 launches a year and reach multiple orbital inclinations.It's going to be quick work to get Rocket Lab's new spaceport up and running. The company has made it clear it wants the first launch from Wallops to be Q3 of next year, so there is a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. … [Read more...] about Rocket Lab selects NASA’s Virginia facility as its US spaceport
Rocket Lab reveals new factory and launch site, aims for 16 flights next year
Rocket Lab last launched its Electron vehicle nearly nine months ago, in January, from its New Zealand launch site. This was the vehicle's second flight and first successful orbital mission. Nine months is a long gulf between launches for a company that ultimately aspires to send rockets into space on a weekly basis. However, Rocket Lab has not been idle for much of this year. Earlier this month, the company opened a second rocket development and production facility in Auckland, New Zealand. And on Wednesday, Rocket Lab announced the location of its second launch site, Wallops Island in Virginia, on the East Coast of the United States. It hopes to have the site operational about one year from now. Further ReadingRocket Lab makes it into orbit, nears commercial operations "For us, the first big step was getting to orbit," Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck told Ars in an interview. "We succeeded with that. The next big step is scaling facilities to meet demand. We're not focusing on the next … [Read more...] about Rocket Lab reveals new factory and launch site, aims for 16 flights next year
Space startup Rocket Lab will build a second launch site in Virginia
US aerospace startup Rocket Lab has decided to build a second launch site at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia. Up until now, the fledgling rocket company has had only one launch site — a private facility on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand — but this new Virginia site will give the company more options for its missions and could potentially allow Rocket Lab to launch more frequently in the future. “Really, it’s to increase our overall launch capability,” Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab, tells The Verge. “And also, not all customers want to travel to New Zealand to launch. It gives us the US soil location.” Rocket Lab’s specialty is launching tiny satellites into space with its Electron rocket, a vehicle that stands nearly 56 feet high — shorter than a six-story building. So far, the company has only launched the Electron twice out of New Zealand during two test flights. The first mission in May 2017 made it … [Read more...] about Space startup Rocket Lab will build a second launch site in Virginia
William Shatner Helps Rocket Lab Unveil New Manufacturing Facility
Rocket Lab aims to boldly go where no spaceflight company has gone before. On Thursday (Oct. 11), the California-based startup unveiled a huge new facility in Auckland, New Zealand, that's designed to enable fast mass production of the company's Electron rocket. And iconic "Star Trek" actor William Shatner was on hand to lend some more excitement to the proceedings. Electrons will undergo final assembly at the new 80,700-square-foot (7,500 square meters) facility, Rocket Lab representatives said. (The company already has a production facility at its headquarters in Huntington Beach, near Los Angeles, which will continue to operate.) aA new mission control center built into the Auckland site will command each Electron rocket launch, the representatives added. [Changing the Launch Equation: Q&A with Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck] Rocket Lab aims to make spaceflight much more frequent and accessible with the 57-foot-tall (17 m) Electron, which can launch 500 lbs. (225 kilograms) to … [Read more...] about William Shatner Helps Rocket Lab Unveil New Manufacturing Facility