Rocket Lab Adds New Mission to 2024 Launch Manifest, Schedules Launch in Coming Days
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, announced it has added a last-minute Electron launch to its launch manifest for a commercial mission that is scheduled to launch in just three days’ time.
The mission, called ‘Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes’, will launch to space from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 during a launch window that opens October 19th for a confidential commercial customer. The expedited mission will be Rocket Lab’s fastest turnaround to date: from signed contract to launch date in less than two months.
Rocket Lab’s rapid call-up launch capability, its standardized and rapid production of Electron launch vehicles that ensures a rocket can be assigned a payload for on-demand launch within days, responsive launch sites, and its experienced team behind the second most frequently launched U.S. orbital rocket, are key enablers for this mission.
The mission will be Rocket Lab’s 12th launch of 2024, increasing the Company’s record number of Electron launches achieved annually since orbital launch services began in 2018. Rocket Lab has achieved a 100% increase in its Electron launch rate for the first half of this year compared with the same time in 2023, doubling its rocket production and launch cadence within a year. This increased launch and production rate bolsters Electron’s significance as a proven, sought-after capability for commercial satellite customers globally.
Rocket Lab Founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck says: “Electron delivers what other rockets and rideshare programs can’t: a dedicated and responsive launch service that is tailored to each customer’s specific needs, allowing them to launch to precisely where they want and when they want on incredibly short notice. This quick turnaround from contract to launch is not only a showcase of Electron’s capability, but also of the relentless and fast-paced execution by the experienced team behind it that continues to deliver trusted and reliable access to space for our customers.”