Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Rocket Lab successfully launched from the U.S. for the fourth time on Thursday morning, March 21, carrying undisclosed payloads for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
Known as "Live and Let Fly," the NROL-123 mission lifted off from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 3:25 a.m. EDT.
The mission employed Rocket Lab's Electron rocket, a two-stage, 59-foot-tall vehicle designed to provide dedicated rides to space for small satellites. This marks Rocket Lab's 46th orbital mission to date.
The NROL-123 mission sent three research missions into orbit, with little information provided about the nature of the payloads. The NRO, responsible for the United States' spy satellites, maintains secrecy regarding their operations.
Rocket Lab was awarded the NROL-123 mission through a Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract, enabling the NRO to explore new opportunities for launching small satellites in a streamlined, commercial approach.
The payloads were deployed into orbit approximately an hour after liftoff as planned. However, Rocket Lab ended its launch webcast shortly after liftoff, possibly at the request of the NRO.
NROL-123 marks the fifth mission launched by Rocket Lab for the NRO. While the previous four were launched from Launch Complex 1 (LC-1) in New Zealand, this mission lifted off from LC-2 in Virginia.
Rocket Lab continues to work on making the Electron's first stage reusable. Although previous missions have involved booster recoveries and engine reuse, NROL-123 did not include any recovery activities, according to the press kit and launch webcast.