Rocket Lab launches second mission from US launch site for Capella Space

Thursday evening Rocket Lab launched once again from its Virginia launch site at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. This was the company’s second launch of the year, both coming from LC-2.

Rocket Lab’s second launch of the year

Rocket Lab launched its Electron dedicated SmallSat launcher from its recently activated LC-2 from Wallops Island, Virginia, at 6:38 p.m. ET. On board were two spacecraft from the company Capella Space which were launched into low Earth orbit.

This was Rocket Lab’s 34th launch of its Electron rocket. Electron is a two-stage rocket that can lift up 300 kg to orbit. It’s powered by nine electrically pumped engines on the first stage and one on the second stage, with the option of a third kick stage to be added.

Rocket Lab was the first company to be widely successful in tailoring a rocket toward the SmallSat market, and this was the company’s 34th mission of its Electron rocket. Between its three launch pads this year, it hopes to break the double-digit milestone with at least ten launches.

The company is also developing a larger rocket, Neutron, designed for the mega-constellation market. While it won’t be as big or powerful as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 or ULA’s Vulcan, Rocket Lab’s CEO Peter Beck said it could handle most of the world’s payloads. Neutron will also be designed from the ground up to be reusable, propulsively landing back on land in Virginia.

Capella Space adds two more satellites to its network

On board this flight was Capella 9 and Capella 10, two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites that provide images of Earth’s surface without concern for clouds. The company plans to have a constellation of 30 satellites to offer an around-the-clock observation of the Earth.

The company’s three prominent use cases for products are defense, maritime awareness, and disaster response. For example, aerial images during disasters can benefit those commanding rescue forces or pilots looking to find safe landing sites or new obstacles to avoid during low-altitude flights.

This was Capella’s second launch with Rocket Lab; the first was the launch of Capella’s second satellite ever back in 2020. In addition, the company has a contract to launch four more satellites. These will be its third-generation satellites that will provide higher resolution and faster order completion time. These launches are planned for the second half of this year.

For Rocket Lab, it is already getting ready for its third launch of this year but this time from New Zealand. Early Wednesday morning, 4:45 a.m. ET, Rocket Lab is set to launch two Black Sky satellites from LZ-1. One of its faster turnarounds between launches, thanks to the redundancy in its launch pads.