Rocket Lab launches NRO payload
Posted: Sat, Feb 1, 2020, 8:30 AM ET (1330 GMT)
Rocket Lab launched a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office Thursday night. The company's Electron rocket lifted off from its New Zealand launch site at 9:56 pm EST Thursday (0256 GMT, 3:56 pm local time Friday) and placed into orbit a payload known as NROL-151. Neither Rocket Lab nor the NRO released details about the payload, including its mission. Rocket Lab said the rocket's first stage survived re-entry and remained intact until reaching the ocean as the company works to eventually recover and reuse those stages. The launch is the first of up to a dozen planned by the company this year.
Rocket Lab launched a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office Thursday night. The company's Electron rocket lifted off from its New Zealand launch site at 9:56 pm EST Thursday (0256 GMT, 3:56 pm local time Friday) and placed into orbit a payload known as NROL-151. Neither Rocket Lab nor the NRO released details about the payload, including its mission. Rocket Lab said the rocket's first stage survived re-entry and remained intact until reaching the ocean as the company works to eventually recover and reuse those stages. The launch is the first of up to a dozen planned by the company this year.
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