Rocket Lab USA and the National Reconnaissance Office launched the fifth national security mission for the agency using an Electron launch vehicle, which lifted off from Wallops, Virginia on Thursday.
The agency said the recent mission dubbed NROL-123 marks the first NRO launch that Rocket Lab has performed in the U.S., specifically from Launch Complex 2 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.
“This launch, which is putting research missions into space, exemplifies the NRO’s commitment to building partnerships with private industry and academia,” said Chris Scolese, director of NRO and a previous Wash100 awardee. “The knowledge gained from this research will advance innovation and enable the development of critical new technology.”
The agency used its Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket contract to procure services for NROL-123 and the four missions before it, which were conducted from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand in 2020 and 2022.
The contract serves as a streamlined, commercial approach to sending small satellites into orbit, and Laura Robinson, deputy director of the NRO’s Office of Space Launch and mission director for NROL-123, said, “The NRO is always looking for innovative ways to advance our capabilities in space and build agility and resilience into everything we do.”