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Rocket Lab to Launch Classified NRO Mission
Rocket Lab is set to launch a classified mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in the early hours of Thursday morning, under the designation NROL-123. The mission, dubbed “Live and Let Fly” by Rocket Lab, will take place at the company’s Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The launch is scheduled for a window that opens at 2:40 a.m. EDT (0640 GMT) on Thursday.
Live Coverage of the Mission
Interested viewers can watch the live broadcast of the launch here at Space.com, provided by Rocket Lab, or directly via the company’s website. Live coverage will begin approximately 30 minutes before the launch window opens.
The Electron Rocket
The mission will utilize Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket, a two-stage, 59-foot-tall vehicle designed to provide dedicated rides to space for small satellites. To date, Rocket Lab has completed 45 orbital missions using the Electron rocket, with plans for a larger launch vehicle known as Neutron in development.
Details regarding the payload and target orbit for the NROL-123 mission remain undisclosed, as is customary with NRO missions due to the organization’s secretive nature regarding its spy satellite operations. Rocket Lab was awarded the NROL-123 mission through a Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract, allowing the NRO to explore new opportunities for launching small satellites using a commercial approach.
Multiple Satellites Deployed
It has been revealed that multiple payloads are scheduled to be deployed approximately one hour after liftoff. Rocket Lab’s press kit confirms this information, suggesting that the mission will involve the deployment of several satellites.
The NROL-123 mission marks the fifth collaboration between Rocket Lab and the NRO. Previous launches for the NRO have taken place at Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 (LC-1) in New Zealand. However, this particular mission will be the first to launch from LC-2 in Virginia, following the company’s first launch from this site in January 2023.
While Rocket Lab continues to work on developing reusable capabilities for the Electron rocket, no recovery activities are planned for the NROL-123 mission according to the press kit. Rocket Lab has a track record of recovering boosters from the sea on previous missions and successfully reusing engines, showcasing ongoing advancements in their technology.
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