1 of 3 | Rocket Lab and NASA partnered for the first launch from U.S. soil Tuesday of the California-based company's Electron satellite launch system. File photo courtesy of NASA/Rocket Lab
Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Rocket Lab's launch vehicle successfully delivered three commercial radio satellites into orbit around the Earth, 24 hours after its original scheduled launch was aborted due to bad weather.
The company's Electron booster blasted off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 6 p.m. EST Tuesday, the California-based company's maiden launch from American soil.
In a news release posted on its website Rocket Lab said the launch, on behalf of Virginia-based satellite company HawkEye 360, brought the total number of satellites it had placed into orbit to 155.
"Electron is already the leading small orbital rocket globally, and today's perfect mission from a new pad is testament to our team's unrelenting commitment to mission success," said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck.
"After our busiest launch year yet in 2022 with nine successful missions, what better way to kick off the new year than by launching Virginia-built spacecraft from a Virginia launch site, enabled by our rapidly growing Virginia-based team.''
Tuesday's launch was Rocket Lab's fifth for HawkEye as part of a contract to deliver 15 of the company's satellites into orbit.
Tuesday's flight racked up another first in using NASA's Autonomous Flight Termination Unit, a critical piece of flight safety technology required for the mission. Rocket Lab launches had previously used the company's own flight termination system.
NASA hopes its new unit will provide a common system for flight termination for a wide array of launch vehicles at any launch range.
Autonomous flight termination at Wallop's getting small satellites into space quicker and cheaper through larger launch windows, smaller launch safety corridors, and reduced reliance on ground-based systems,'' the agency said in a news release.
''Ensuring public safety is the primary mandate of any launch range. Launches flying without automated flight safety systems rely on range safety officers to monitor all stages of rocket flight using ground-based tracking and telemetry assets.
''If the rocket flies off course, the range safety officers send commands to terminate flight. Launch safety plans need to compensate for human reaction time'', NASA said.
NASA and Rocket Lab hope their collaboration will pave the way for monthly flights from the Virginia launch facility. The partnership is also injecting renewed impetus into the state's fledgling space sector with Tuesday's launch being dubbed "Virginia is for Launch Lovers".
Ted Mercer, CEO and Executive Director of Virginia Space said: "In addition to being Rocket Lab's first and only U.S. launch location, we will also be building rockets and processing their payload right here in Accomack County -- something that has never been done in Virginia.
''Our partnership with Rocket Lab is a unique opportunity for the Commonwealth of Virginia to create long-term economic development opportunities in the form of high-paying jobs, launch viewing tourism, and construction of new facilities on the Eastern Shore."