First launch of an Electron rocket from NASA’s Wallops Island, Virginia facility
Rocket Lab launches from NASA’s Wallops Island, Virginia facility. This is the moment when the first launch of an Electron missile from the United States, the HawkEye 360, took place. Courtesy of Rocket Lab’s YouTube Stream.
The first launch of an Electron rocket from the United States took place from NASA’s Wallops facility in Virginia at about 6 p.m. ET on January 24th. The launch was originally scheduled for Monday night but was canceled due to weather.
NASA prepares for a Virginia rocket launch
People along the East Coast are in for a show Monday evening as a rocket launch at Wallops Island, Virginia, will be visible to most of the coast. FOX 5’s David Kaplan explains how you can see the launch.
The first electron launch from the United States on Tuesday was made possible by NASA’s work developing the NASA Autonomous Flight Termination Unit (NAFTU). NASA believes that NAFTO is an important part of the flight safety technology required for this mission.
Tuesday’s launch was the first flight ever to use the NAFTU flight safety system.
said David L. “We are proud to make future US Rocket Lab Electron missile launches possible with our game-changing flight safety technology.”
The Electron is a type of rocket manufactured by the New Zealand Rocket Laboratory. The 59-foot Electron rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island.
NASA said the mission, dubbed “Virginia for Launch Fans,” will deploy radio frequency monitoring satellites for HawkEye 360.
You can view the full launch video here RocketLab website or RocketLab YouTube channel.