Blogs

The team has just called out Go for Launch, and the Electron rocket carrying NASA’s TROPICS mission should blast off in about 10 minutes.

NASA selected Rocket Lab to provide the launch service for the TROPICS mission as part of the agency’s VADR (Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) launch services contract in November 2022. NASA’s Launch Services Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida manages the launch service. TROPICS is one of NASA’s Earth venture-instrument missions, …

Live coverage has begun for the second of two launches of NASA’s TROPICS mission. Rocket Lab is targeting no earlier than 11:46 p.m. EDT Thursday, May 25, (3:46 p.m. NZST Friday, May 26th) for the launch of Coming To A Storm Near You, the flight of the company’s Electron rocket that will send a pair …

A 70-minute window opens at 11:46 p.m. EDT Thursday, May 25, (3:46 p.m. NZST Friday, May 26th) to launch a pair of NASA’s TROPICS CubeSats today on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from New Zealand. Here’s a look at some of today’s upcoming milestones. All times are approximate: Timeline of Launch Events Hr/Min/Sec        Event -00:02:00 …

NASA will host a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday, May 30, to discuss the next science investigations, technology demonstrations, crew supplies, and hardware bound for the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s 28th commercial resupply services mission for the agency. Audio of the media call will stream live at: https://www.nasa.gov/live. NASA and SpaceX are …

Weather is 85% favorable for the upcoming launch of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket carrying the final pair of NASA’s TROPICS CubeSats. The team is expecting minimal clouds and light winds over Launch Complex-1 in in Māhia, New Zealand throughout the countdown and through lift-off.

Weather officials from Rocket Lab predict an 80 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for today’s launch window. The primary weather concern for the launch window is ground winds. TROPICS CubeSats use different wavelengths to see different features of storms in their surrounding environment, and they make more frequent passes of tropical cyclones than current …

After a weather delay, a pair of small weather tracking satellites are ready to launch to space aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand a few hours from now. NASA’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission is sending a …

Private Astronaut Mission (PAM) Axiom-2 (Ax-2): Commercial, Outreach, and Payload Activities: Today, the Ax-2 crew completed several photo and video activities that will be used for commercial and marketing purposes. Crew also conducted three media outreach events, including a live event with Space Center Houston, as well as interviews with CBS and Men’s Health. Additionally, …

NASA, in cooperation with Intuitive Machines, is moving the landing site for the first Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission to Moon’s South Pole as an important first step in managing risks for future Artemis landings. One of the first lunar payload deliveries under NASA’s CLPS initiative was awarded to Intuitive Machines in May 2019. …