Rocket Lab to launch first of two back-to-back missions for NRO

Date:
Tue, 12 Jul 2022 22:37:21 +0000

Description:
Rocket Lab is gearing up to launch its 28th Electron rocket on the Wise One The post Rocket Lab to launch first of two back-to-back missions for NRO appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Rocket Lab is gearing up to launch its 28th Electron rocket on the Wise One Looks Ahead mission, also designated National Reconnaissance Office Launch (NROL)-162. NROL-162 is the first of two back-to-back Electron missions for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Wise One Looks Ahead is set to launch in a window from 05:00 to 07:00 UTC (1:00-3:00 AM EDT) on July 13 from Rocket Labs Launch Complex 1A.

This mission will be Rocket Labs sixth mission of 2022, the third Electron
NRO mission, and the third mission under the NROs Rapid Acquisition of Small Rocket (RASR) contracts.



Rocket and payload overview

Electron is a two-stage liquid-fueled small satellite launch vehicle owned and operated by Rocket Lab. Rocket Lab developed the rocket to provide small satellites a responsive, dedicated ride to space.

The first stage uses nine 3D printed, electric pump-fed RP-1/LOX Rutherford engines. Each engine produces 26 kN of thrust with a specific impulse of 311 seconds in a vacuum. Altogether, the first stage produces a max thrust of 224 kN. On top is the second stage which uses a single vacuum optimized
Rutherford engine. This engine produces 26 kN with a specific impulse of 343 seconds.

Above the second stage is the payload fairing and an optional Kick Stage. The payload fairing is 1.2 meters in diameter with a height of 2.5 meters. This makes the rocket 1.2 meters in diameter with a length of 18 meters. Electron is primarily made of carbon fiber, giving the rocket its black look. Two Electron rockets preparing for their back-to-back launches. (Credit: Rocket Lab)

To support Electron, Rocket Lab owns and operates Launch Complex 1 in the
Mhia Peninsula in New Zealand. Launch Complex 1 was built by Rocket Lab for Electron making it the first privately built spaceport to support an orbital launch. The first launch pad, LC-1A, was used on Electrons first launch. A second launch pad was opened with the launch of The Owls Night Continues mission in February 2022. See Also NROL-162 Updates Rocket Lab Forum Section L2 MasterSection Click here to Join L2

A third launch pad, LC-2, is set to open in Q4 2022 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island in the United States.

Electron took its first flight on the Its a Test mission on May 25, 2017. The flight went well for the first four minutes until contact was temporarily
lost with the rocket. Due to the loss of contact, the flight was terminated per standard procedures. It was found that communications were lost due to an issue with a third-party ground station.

The Electron rocket was performing normally when the flight was terminated. Electrons second flight took place in January 2018. On this flight, there
were three customer satellites and the first Kick Stage.

Electrons Kick Stage is powered by a single 3D printed Curie engine. Once in orbit, the Kick Stage is used to carry its payload(s) to its final orbit.

Since flight two of Electron, every rocket has used this Kick Stage or its Photon satellite bus. Photon is Rocket Labs dedicated satellite bus for allowing missions in multiple types of orbits. The satellite bus has been
used on three missions, most recently supporting NASAs CAPSTONE mission.

Recently, Rocket Lab began the Responsive Space Program to allow rapid access to space. This new program can allow both commercial and government missions to rapidly launch Electrons and Photon satellites to orbit. Rocket Lab can support a launch from a call within 24 hours. Introducing our Responsive
Space Program

Were making it easier for commercial and govt satellite operators to access 24/7 rapid call-up launch capability and streamlined satellite build and operation options. https://t.co/AzfczdfOoV pic.twitter.com/L2pvEAR3D8

Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) July 6, 2022





Rocket Lab recently demonstrated this capability during a previous mission with BlackSky. This BlackSky mission called for a rapid orbit change to take photography in Ukraine. The window for the mission was only open for 45 days. Wise One Looks Ahead and Antipodean Adventure will be the next missions to demonstrate the Responsive Space Program.

With 27 missions under Electrons belt, several customers have used the
rocket. Some of these customers have included NASA, DARPA, Spaceflight Inc, BlackSky, the US Space Force, and the NRO.

The National Reconnaissance Office is a government agency that is a part of the US Department of Defense. Since its formation in 1961, the NRO is responsible for the USs reconnaissance satellites. Using the RASR contract, NRO has used Electron on two previous missions ( Birds of a Feather and
Dont Stop Me Now ). RASR is NROs way of launching small satellites using a streamlined commercial approach.

With RASR, the Wise One Looks Ahead NROL-162 and Antipodean Adventure NROL-199 missions will be flown on back-to-back Electron launches Rocket Lab won the contract in June 2020 to launch the missions from LC-1A and LC-1B within weeks of each other. The back-to-back launches will help demonstrate the ability to rapidly launch national security missions.

The satellites on the dual missions were designed and built by the NRO in partnership with the Australian Department of Defence.

The back-to-back missions will mark the third and fourth launch for the NRO
in 2022. SpaceXs Falcon 9 supported the first two NRO missions of the year with NROL-87 and NROL-85 . In total, at least six NRO missions will take
place this year with NROL-91 on a Delta IV Heavy and NROL-107 on an Atlas V both are expected to launch as early as August.

Launch

Launch preparations began with the rockets final wet dress rehearsal (WDR). The WDR was completed on June 15 while the Electron with CAPSTONE was undergoing final preparations. Payload integration is complete for our first of two @NatReconOfc responsive space missions! NROL-162 is set to launch NET July 12, with NROL-199 to follow just days later from our second pad.

Mission info: https://t.co/olXThrj4jR pic.twitter.com/yccZ2jbfob

Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) July 7, 2022



With the WDR completed and Electrons CAPSTONE launch , final launch preparations began. In early July, the NROL-162 payload was encapsulated in Electrons payload fairing. Electrons payload fairing was attached on top of the second stage, completing the rocket.

The Electron rocket is raised vertically four hours before launch. At this time, propellant loading begins. At T-2 hours and 30 minutes before launch, the ground personnel evacuate the launch site. 30 minutes later, Electron begins LOX loading.

At T-18 minutes, the Go/No-Go poll is conducted. Just under seven minutes before the flight, the strongback is retracted to its launch position of 20 degrees. Electrons flight computes take over the countdown at T-2 minutes to begin the Launch Auto-Sequence. The first and second stage tanks begin pressurizing to flight levels at T-1 minute.

At T-2 seconds, the first stage engines ignite and begin a final health
check. Once the engines are verified to be healthy, the rocket will lift off at T-0.

Shortly after liftoff, Electron will begin a pitch maneuver to the azimuth needed to reach its orbital inclination. One minute into the flight, Electron will reach Mach one. Moments later, the rocket will pass through Maximum Aerodynamic Pressure (Max-Q) where the aerodynamic forces are at their peak. Electron launches the A Data With Destiny mission. (Credit: Rocket Lab)

The nine first-stage engines shut down two minutes and 27 seconds into
flight. A few seconds later, stage two will separate from the first stage. At T+2 minutes and 33 seconds, the second stage engine ignites.

For this mission, the Electron first stage will not be recovered.

33 seconds into the second stages burn, the payload fairing separates, exposing the Kick Stage and the payload to space. At T+6 minutes and 50 seconds into the flight, the second stage battery hot-swap takes place. Battery hot-swap occurs to replace the batteries that have been depleted. The used batteries are jettisoned to remove the unnecessary mass.

At 9 minutes 29 seconds into the flight, Electron reaches an elliptical
orbit. Nine seconds later, the Kick Stage separates from the second stage.
The Kick Stage then begins a coast period. At T+54 minutes, the Kick Stage Curie engine ignites. The burn will last nearly two minutes. Roughly one hour after launch, the NROL-162 payload is deployed from the kick stage.

After this mission, Rocket Lab will quickly gear up for the Antipodean Adventure NROL-199 mission. This mission will launch from LC-1B just 10 days after Wise One Looks Ahead NROL-162.

(Lead photo: The Electron rockets for NROL-162 and NROL-199 both stand vertical at LC-1A and LC-1B, respectively. Credit: Rocket Lab)

The post Rocket Lab to launch first of two back-to-back missions for NRO appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/07/rocket-lab-wise-one-looks-ahead/


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