The 59-foot-tall Electron rocket will lift off from Launch
Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island.
The mission, named “Stronger Together,” will be the second
Rocket Lab launch from Wallops. The first Electron launch from Wallops occurred in January.
Thursday’s launch will carry two observation satellites into
low Earth orbit for the company Capella Space.
A pioneer in the Earth observation industry, Capella is the
first U.S. company with a constellation of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
satellites delivering high-quality SAR imagery of Earth. Headquartered in San
Francisco, Calif., the company has additional locations in Denver, Colo., and
Washington, D.C.
In February, Rocket Lab and Capella Space secured a
multi-launch deal of four Electron missions. Each Electron mission will deploy
a single Earth-imaging Acadia satellite.
“We delivered mission success for Capella in our first
mission for them in 2020 and now we’re thrilled they’ve entrusted us with a
further five missions to help expand their growing SAR constellation,” Rocket
Lab CEO and Founder Peter Beck said in a company press release.
“We are experiencing increased market demand for our
highest-quality SAR data, and this announcement underscores Capella’s strong
commitment to our global customers across the defense and intelligence and
commercial markets,” said Capella Space CEO and Founder Payam Banazadeh.
Capella Space joins a growing list of commercial constellation
operators who have entrusted Rocket Lab to deploy their spacecraft. Companies include BlackSky Global, Hawkeye 360, Synspective, Kineis, Planet, Spire, Fleet Space, and more.
For those interested in viewing the launch in person,
viewing locations on Chincoteague Island include Robert Reed Park,
Curtis Merritt Harbor, and the Beach Road causeway between Chincoteague and
Assateague islands.
Weather permitting, the launch may be visible along much of
the U.S. East Coast.
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