LAUNCH TIME | July 13, 2022 - 07:00:00 |
LAUNCH PROVIDER | Rocket Lab |
CUSTOMER | National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) |
ROCKET | Electron |
LAUNCH SITE | Launch Complex-1A, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand |
PAYLOAD MASS | Unknown |
DESTINATION | Unknown |
LANDING SITE | The first stage will crash into the Pacific Ocean |
WEATHER | - |
Rocket Lab will launch the NROL-162 mission from Launch Complex 1A located in the Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand.
This will be the first of two missions (NROL-199 is scheduled for approximately 10 days after this) of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in partnership with the Australian Defense Agency.
This mission does not involve the recovery of the first stage of the Electron rocket.
What's on board?
As usual, the NROL-162 mission is also secret.
The cargo inside the fairings was designed, financed and built by the National Reconnaissance Office in collaboration with the Australian Defense Agency.
Electron
Rocket Lab's Electron is a small launch vehicle designed and developed specifically to place small satellites (CubeSat, nano, micro and minisatellites) in low Earth orbits, it consists of two stages with optional third stages.
The rocket is about 18.5 meters high and only 1.2 meters in diameter. It is not only small in size, but also light in weight. The vehicle structures are made of advanced carbon fiber composites, which ensure enhanced rocket performance. The payload lifting capacity of Electron compared to LEO is 300kg.
The first stage The first stage of the Electron is powered by 9 Rutherford engines at sea level which produce 24 kN of thrust.
The second stage The second stage is powered by a single vacuum-optimized Rutherford motor providing 25.8 kN of thrust
The Optional third stage The Photon upper stage in its standard configuration acts as a propulsion in space to distribute the payloads of Rocket Lab's customers into their designated orbits. It is powered by a Curie engine capable of producing 120 N of thrust.
There is also a Photon version for deep space. This allows you to launch interplanetary missions. The HyperCurie engine is powered by an electric pump, so it can use solar cells to charge the batteries between burns. It has an extended nozzle to be more efficient than the standard Curie.
The live stream will start at T-20 minutes.
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