Rocket Lab has launched two satellites in 11 days, in another key milestone for the company. It has completed the second of two Electron launches for NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) climate change-focused mission. The turnaround was less than two weeks. ‘PREFIRE and Ice’ lifted-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1...

New Zealand is a country that punches above its weight in the space arena. The country, which has a population of just over 5 million people is making a big splash in space. Rocket Lab, one of the poster children of the New Space era, put New Zealand on the map. But the nation also...

French startup Kinéis is preparing for two Rocket Lab launches starting in June to launch the first 10 satellites of its IoT constellation. Kinéis announced Thursday that two launches are planned between June 17 and July 15, with five satellites on each launch.  Kinéis signed a five-launch deal with Rocket Lab in 2021. At the...

Viasat has selected Loft Orbital as its partner for work on the Real-Time Space Relay (RTSR) service for NASA. Under this deal, Viasat’s Ka-band space terminal will be integrated on a Loft spacecraft along with multiple commercial payloads. The demonstration is part of Viasat’s work for NASA’s Communications Services Project. Viasat received a $53.3 million...

Rocket Lab reported a record $93 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2024 — a 69% year-over-year revenue increase. The launch and space systems company  released its Q1 2024 financials on May 6, along with the update that the first launch of its next-generation Neutron rocket will slip to mid-2025 at the earliest. ...

Rocket Lab selected its subcontractors for its work for the Space Development Agency (SDA), announcing deals with CesiumAstro, Mynaric, SEAKR Engineering, Collins Aerospace, Redwire Space, and Parsons Corporation.  Rocket Lab is building 18 satellites for the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture under a $515 million contract announced in late 2023. The satellites will be part...

JAXA selected Astroscale Japan, a subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings, as the commercial partner for Phase II of JAXA’s Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration (CRD2) program. Astroscale Japan announced the partnership on April 25.  Eddie Kato, president and managing director of Astroscale Japan, said Astroscale has demonstrated several capabilities during Phase I of the mission and...