Monday, January 20, 2020
Rocket Lab's Next Launch For National Reconnaissance Office
Huntington Beach-based Rocket Lab said on Monday that its next launch, the first for 2020, will be the for U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). According to Rocket Lab, the mission, named "Birds of a Feather", will occur on January 31st, from Rocket Lab's New Zealand launch site. Rocket Lab said it won the contract under the NRO Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract, which will allow the NRO to explore new launch opportunities that can provide a streamlined, commercial approach for getting small satellites into space. The company did not say how much the contract is worth, or exactly what the NRO payload will be used for. Rocket Lab says it has now delivered a total of 47 satellites into orbit on its Electron rocket. The company's small rocket specifically is designed for launching small satellites into space.