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Feb 23, 2022
Located at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, the world’s first and only private orbital launch site, the new pad will enable Rocket Lab to double launch cadence.
Since Electron's first launch in 2017, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 has been the gateway to space for small satellites. More than 100 satellites have launched from this complex and now with two pads side by side, get ready for twice as many launches.
Pad B joins the existing Pad A at Launch Complex 1, as well as a third launch pad at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, USA.
Introducing LC-1B
Video above: All about Launch Complex 1 and Pad B from Rocket Lab founder CEO, Peter Beck, and Vice President - Launch, Shaun D'Mello.
All About Responsive Space Access
When we set out to provide frequent and reliable access to space, we knew the rocket was just one piece of the puzzle.
Most rockets have to launch from shared ranges where they have limited control over schedule and hefty overhead costs for range assets and support. We solved that by building and operating our own private spaceport where we are in complete control over schedule and operations, launching when our customers need to.
We can accommodate late changes to a spacecraft or additional requirements from customers for launch because we have the facilities and expertise to manage those on site. We can run concurrent launch campaigns from Launch Complex 1, meaning flexibility for customers who want to launch sooner or those who need a bit more time. Either way, multiple pads keeps Electron's manifest on schedule.
Responsive launch is not just about sitting around and waiting for the call up to act. It’s about being able to do that, and then launch to space again in just a matter of hours. Operating multiple pads from the same site means we’re always ready for a quick turn around when our customers need us - and with three satellite cleanrooms, two pads, our own Range and Mission Control Centers, and our experience of moving quickly, we can do that when we're called upon.
About Launch Complex 1
There’s no other launch site like Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1. We started with an empty space on a remote peninsula and grew the complex to become the world’s first and only private spaceport that regularly supports orbital launches.
An FAA-licensed spaceport, Launch Complex 1 can support up to 120 launch opportunities every year. From here it's possible to reach orbital inclinations from sun-synchronous through to 30 degrees, enabling a wide spectrum of inclinations to service the majority of the satellite industry’s missions to low Earth orbit and beyond.
Within Launch Complex 1 are our private Range Control facilities, three satellite cleanrooms, a launch vehicle assembly facility which can process multiple Electrons for launch at once, and administrative offices. Operating a private orbital launch site alongside our own Range and Mission Control centers allows us to reduce the overhead costs per mission to provide a cost-effective launch service for satellite operators.
Next On The Pad
With the launch dress rehearsal complete for Pad B, we're looking ahead to the pad's first launch: a dedicated Electron mission for Japanese Earth-imaging company Synspective.
‘The Owl’s Night Continues’ is the first of three dedicated Electron missions for Synspective, with two scheduled to launch in 2022 and a third in 2023. Each mission will deploy a single StriX satellite, growing Synspective’s synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation developed to deliver imagery that can detect millimeter-level changes to the Earth’s surface from space, independent of weather conditions on Earth and at any time of the day or night. We've launched for our friends at Synspective before on a mission named ‘The Owl’s Night Begins’ in December 2020.
Originally slated to launch after a mission for another customer, we brought the Synspective mission forward in the manifest to accommodate shifts in customer timelines. That's the beauty of operating our own orbital launch site.
The 14-day launch window for this 24th Electron mission - and first from Pad B - opens February 28th UTC.
NZT | 09:35 1 March
JST | 05:35 1 March
EST | 15:35 28 Feb
PST | 12:35 28 Feb
About Electron's Next Mission 'The Owl's Night Continues'
Mission Overview
Electron is scheduled to launch "The Owl's Night Continues” mission from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand during a launch window that opens February 28, 2022 UTC.
‘The Owl’s Night Continues’ is the first of three dedicated Electron missions for Synspective, with two scheduled to launch in 2022 and a third in 2023. Each mission will deploy a single StriX satellite, growing Synspective’s synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation developed to deliver imagery that can detect millimetre-level changes to the Earth’s surface from space, independent of weather conditions on Earth and at any time of the day or night.
‘The Owl’s Night Continues’ mission follows on from Rocket Lab’s first launch for Synspective in December 2020. That mission, named ‘The Owl’s Night Begins’, saw Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle deploy the StriX-α satellite – the first spacecraft in Synspective’s planned constellation of more than 30 SAR satellites designed to collate data of metropolitan centers on a daily basis to support urban development planning, construction and infrastructure monitoring, and disaster response.
Rocket Lab will not be attempting to recover Electron for this mission.
Rocket Lab: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/
Images, Video, Text, Credit: Rocket Lab.
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