Rocket Lab Reveals the Latest Specifics of The Future NASA Satellite Launch
23rd Aug 2021Rocket Lab has specified the latest details of their moon mission. The company is ready to announce that the NASA Satellite launch they are in charge of will be held in New Zealand on Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1. This is a significant alteration since the mission was already booked for Virginia, where NASA’s Wallops facility is located.
The time has been reconsidered too. Instead of early 2021, the NASA Satellite launch is blasted at the end of the year – somewhere between October and December, to be more precise.
High Expectations From Rocket Lab CAPSTONE Are Easy to Explain
Hopefully, these plans are final, and everything will go well. For Rocket Lab, the CAPSTONE, or Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, mission is a critical point that may hugely impact the company’s future. On the bright side, it is exciting since plenty of launch providers would give a lot for the opportunity to take NASA’s satellite into elliptical lunar orbit. Besides, Rocket Lab will also have a chance to demonstrate its advanced technologies to the world. To make this NASA Satellite launch possible, the company will use the Photon spacecraft for the first time.
The NASA Satellite Launch Is a Great Pressure, Yet a Wonderful Opportunity
On the other hand, the pressure is extraordinary. Indeed, Rocket Lab has a record of no less than 17 successful launches. Plus, their Electron rocket proved its efficiency. But recently, the company has had a run of bad luck. There were two launch failures and a long exhausting recovery process after that. In addition, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin tried to block the contract between NASA and Rocket Lab, which has added a lot of stress beyond any doubt.
For the Agency, the CAPSTONE will provide a possibility to get into the Moon’s orbit with fewer risks. This NASA Satellite launch will become a basis for its Artemis program.
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