It was delayed to fix a software problem - now set to blast-off at 5 a.m.The Press Kit is available at https://www.rocketlabusa.com/assets/Uploads/Flight-29-Press-Kit-FINAL.pdf.
Per the Press Kit, the launch window is 05:00-07:00 UTC.
The NROL-199 launch was initially scheduled for 22 July but was delayed due to software issues.
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@RocketLab to launch @NatReconOfc's classified #NROL199 mission under #RASR (Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket). 29th #Electron mission overall, dubbed Antipodean Adventure.
https://twitter.com/SpaceIntellige3/status/1554085580518166528
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US and Australia to launch second joint spy satellite from site in New Zealand
Some in space industry bewildered by Australia’s lack of fanfare about the launch of the satellites, which will be used to collect intelligence for allied nations
A second spy satellite built by Australia and the United States is scheduled for liftoff on Tuesday from a launch site in New Zealand.
The first of the two satellites, which will be used to collect intelligence for the allied nations, launched two weeks ago.
The Australian Department of Defence did not announce the successful launch of the first satellite or the launch date of the second.
US spy agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, has been celebrating the “Antipodean Adventure”, which features a crocodile, a rocket and an eagle on its logo.
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Some in the space industry are bewildered by the lack of information and fanfare on the Australian side.
Malcolm Davis, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s senior analyst and resident space expert, said there is a “very different culture” in the US military, which actively promotes its work, and the Australian military, which is “closed off”.
“It’s not just these particular satellites, it’s an attitude within Defence that they’re very closed off,” he said.
“The Americans are very forward. You only need to look at how they support movies like Top Gun: Maverick. It’s a very different culture, and it’s a frustrating one down here.”
The first satellite, NROL-162, features a frill-necked lizard patch. “The frilled-neck lizard is a reptile primarily located in northern Australia and much like the lizard, it represents the small, agile nature of the payload to be launched,” the NRO said.
Its logo says sapiens qui prospicit: “Wise is the person who looks ahead”.
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The second, NROL-199, has a dingo: “It represents a small to medium-sized canine built for speed, agility, and stamina.” Its logo says ad astra per aspera: “Through hardships to the stars.”
New Zealand’s Rocket Lab is providing the rockets to deliver the classified payloads into orbit from the launch site on the Māhia Peninsula.
The NRO’s mission is to “produce intelligence products” for policymakers and “warfighters” as well as civilian use.
A Defence spokesperson said the department partnered with the NRO for “two space missions as part of a broad range of cooperative satellite activities”.
As defence minister, Peter Dutton announced Australia’s intention to work with the NRO to build a “more capable, integrated, and resilient space architecture designed to provide global coverage in support of a wide range of intelligence mission requirements”.
Earlier this year he announced a separate plan to develop a surveillance satellite with Queensland company Gilmour Space Technologies, due to launch next year.
Rocket Lab Successfully Launches First of Two Responsive Space Missions for the National Reconnaissance Office
LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, has successfully launched the first of two responsive space missions for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
Following lift-off of NROL-162 (“Wise One Looks Ahead”) from Pad A at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 at 06:30 UTC, July 13, 2022, Electron successfully delivered the NRO’s national security payload to space. In partnership with the Australian Department of Defence, NROL-162 will provide critical information to the United States Government’s agencies and allies and national security decision makers monitoring and responding to world events and humanitarian issues.
“Wise One Looks Ahead” is the first of a pair of back-to-back responsive space missions commissioned by the NRO for dedicated launch on Electron. NROL-199 (“Antipodean Adventure”), the follow-up mission to NROL-162, is scheduled to launch in just nine days’ time from Pad B at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on July 22, 2022. With multiple launch pads, dedicated range and mission control centres, and several Electron rockets ready to fly, Rocket Lab is delivering responsive space capability to the national security community.
NROL-162 and NROL-199 are the latest pair of missions awarded by the NRO under the Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract. Rocket Lab previously successfully delivered a pair of national security missions to space for the NRO on Electron in January and June 2020.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck, says: “The successful deployment of NROL-162 to orbit is another fantastic achievement by the Rocket Lab team, but we’re not resting on our laurels. No other small launch provider has ever before prepared a dedicated launch for a small national security payload in such a rapid turnround, and our sights are set on delivering the next NRO mission to space in record-time.”
NEXT MISSION
NROL-199 / “Antipodean Adventure” launch details:
- Launch Window Opens: July 22, UTC
- Launch vehicle: Electron
- Customer: National Reconnaissance Office
- Launch site: Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Pad B
- Mission type: Dedicated
- Payload: NROL-199
+ Images & Video Content
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzPrHL
+ About Rocket Lab
Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with an
established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable launch
services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and on-orbit
management solutions that make it faster, easier and more affordable to
access space. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab
designs and manufactures the Electron small orbital launch vehicle and
the Photon satellite platform and is developing the Neutron 8-ton
payload class launch vehicle. Since its first orbital launch in January
2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second most
frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered 148
satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations,
enabling operations in national security, scientific research, space
debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and
communications. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft platform has been
selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the
first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three launch
pads at two launch sites, including two launch pads at a private orbital
launch site located in New Zealand and a second launch site in
Virginia, USA which is expected to become operational in 2022. To learn
more, visit www.rocketlabusa.com.
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