Rocket Lab USA, a global leader in launch services and space systems, announced it has been selected by NASA to launch its Aspera mission, an astrophysics science mission designed to study the formation and evolution of galaxies and provide new insights into how the universe works.
Rocket Lab will launch the Aspera spacecraft on Electron from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 no earlier than Q1 2026. Through the use of a telescope to study ultraviolet light, Aspera will examine hot gas in the space between galaxies, called the intergalactic medium, that is thought to contribute to the birth of stars and planets. Aspera will be the first NASA astrophysics mission to gather and map these ultraviolet light signatures, potentially unlocking a deeper understanding of the origins of stars, planets, and life in the universe.
Aspera joins the list of NASA science missions awarded to Rocket Lab including the CAPSTONE mission launched to the Moon by Electron and operated by Rocket Lab’s Lunar Photon spacecraft; NASA’s hurricane monitoring TROPICS mission launched across two Electron launches in May 2023; the agency’s PREFIRE climate change-focused mission studying melting ice caps in the Antarctic; and other small satellite science and technology missions launched on Electron since 2018.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, says: “As a long trusted launch partner for NASA’s most pioneering small satellites, it’s great to be able to continue that support for another innovative science mission like Aspera. Electron has proven itself to be the premier small launcher through complete launch schedule control and reliably accurate orbital deployment, and we’re looking forward to delivering that again for Aspera.”
Aspera is part of NASA’s Pioneers Program in the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters, which funds compelling astrophysics science research at a lower cost. The Aspera mission was awarded to Rocket Lab through NASA’s Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) program, a five-year contracting vehicle for placing NASA’s science and technology payloads on U.S. commercial launchers.
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