spacetoday.net: Rocket Lab conducts first Electron launch from Virginia

Posted: Sun, Jan 29, 2023, 9:58 AM ET (1458 GMT)
Rocket Lab conducted its first Electron launch from the United States Tuesday, placing three HawkEye 360 satellites into orbit. The Electron lifted off from the company's Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Island, Virginia, at 6:0 pm EST (2300 GMT), deploying the three satellites into low Earth orbit an hour later. The launch was the first from the US for Rocket Lab, which had conducted all its previous Electron launches from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The company had to deal with significant delays in certification of a NASA-developed autonomous flight termination system required to launch from Wallops, pushing back its use of the launch site from 2020. The launch is also the first of the year for Rocket Lab, which previously estimated conducting about 14 launches this year from its two launch sites.