Rocket Lab is ramping up for a launch Thursday, March 21 at 2:40 am from Launch Complex 2, NASA Wallops Flight Facility at Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Wallops, Virginia. This will be the first launch for the NRO from the United States after previously launching four NRO missions from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula.
- EDT | 02:40 am (21 March)
- PDT | 11:40 pm (20 March)
- UTC | 06:40 am (21 March)
- NZDT | 7:40 pm (21 March)
The NROL-123 mission, called ‘Live and Let Fly’, also designated NROL-123, will be Rocket Lab’s first launch for the NRO from the United States after previously launching four NRO missions from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. It will be Rocket Lab’s 4th mission from Launch Complex 2, a dedicated pad for the Electron rocket located at Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
The mission will be Rocket Lab’s 4th launch this year and 46th Electron launch overall. Rocket Lab will not be attempting to recover Electron’s first stage during this mission. A live webcast will be available approximately 30 minutes prior lift-off on launch day www.rocketlabusa.com/live-stream
The ‘Live and Let Fly’ launch service was acquired using NRO’s Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract. RASR enables the NRO to explore new opportunities for launching small satellites through a streamlined, commercial approach. NRO missions provide critical information to more than a half-million government users, including every member of the Intelligence Community, two dozen domestic agencies, the military, lawmakers, and decision makers.
The Pegasus represents speed, strength, and artistic inspiration. Encompassing beauty and a sense of majesty, it is a guide for humankind beyond the physical world to the realm where the spirit can soar without limit. The pegasus is also a nod to the ponies of Chincoteague. Wasps, Fish and DragonFly have been included to reference the NROL 123 Patch