WALLOPS ISLAND, VA - Rocket Lab has announced a new $14.49 million task order award from the U.S. Space Force (USSF) to launch another Electron rocket from Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
Rocket Lab says the USSF awarded them the mission to launch the Electron rocket from Launch Complex 2, a pad dedicated to Electron rockets at Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, on April 8th.
The mission, according to Rocket Lab, falls under the Space Systems Command Assured Access to Space organization and has been named Space Test Program-30 (STP-S30).
Though a launch date or window was not specified, Rocket Lab says the launch is scheduled to take place within two years of this week’s contract award.
STP-S30 is intended to deliver research experiments and technology demonstrations to orbit for the Department of Defense. The rocket’s primary payload, DISKSat, will also maintain a very low earth orbit flight and test a a 1-meter disk shaped satellite, according to Rocket Lab.
This will be Rocket Lab’s third mission for the U.S. Space Force, the company says. In March, Rocket Lab successfully launched a 59 ft tall Electron rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in Accomack County.
"Flexible, responsive, and reliable launch is critical to ensuring resilient space capabilities for the nation and we’re proud to deliver it to the Space Force once again with Electron,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck.