Electron | Wise One Looks Ahead (NROL-162)
Launch Successful
L - -- : -- : -- : --
Launch Window
July 13, 2022, 5 a.m. - July 13, 2022, 7 a.m.
July 13, 2022, 5 a.m. - July 13, 2022, 7 a.m.
Classified payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
Payload separation success
Liftoff
T-0 updated
Launch time updated to 06:00 UTC
70% go for launch
Electron is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle (with an optional third stage) developed by the American aerospace company Rocket Lab. Electron is a small-lift launch vehicle designed to launch small satellites and cubesats to sun-synchronous orbit and low earth orbit. The Electron is the first orbital class rocket to use electric-pump-fed engines, powered by the 9 Rutherford engines on the first stage. It is also used as a suborbital testbed (called HASTE) for hypersonics research.
See DetailsExpended during its first flight.
Core will be expended.Rocket Lab is an American aerospace manufacturer with a wholly owned New Zealand subsidiary. The company develops lightweight, cost-effective commercial rocket launch services. The Electron Program was founded on the premise that small payloads such as CubeSats require dedicated small launch vehicles and flexibility not currently offered by traditional rocket systems. Its rocket, the Electron, is a light-weight rocket and is now operating commercially. The company is also producing a variety of spacecrafts and spacecrafts components.
INFO WIKI
Two upcoming Rocket Lab launches for the National Reconnaissance Office will send to orbit classified spy satellites that the U.S. intelligence agency developed jointly with the Australian government.
Rocket Lab launched 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 Reconnaissan…
Launch of a yet to identified satellite to SSO for an undisclosed customer. The customer is suspected to be Low Earth Orbit communication satellite c…
31st commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station operated by SpaceX. The flight will be conducted under the second Commer…
Ionosfera is a constellation of four ionospheric and magnetospheric research satellites developed by for Roscosmos for the project Ionozond. The s…
DSN 3, also known as Kirameki 3, is a geostationary communications satellite to be used for military communications by the Japanese military.
Note: Payload identity uncertain. Bars-M is the second incarnation of the Bars project, which was started in the mid 1990ies to develop a success…
A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
A batch of 20 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Eighth crewed flight to the Chinese space station.
A batch of 22 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Fourth batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office t…