Rocket Lab Launches Two Satellites For Capella Space From Virginia

Rocket Lab has delivered two satellites for Capella Space, a U.S. company that provides high-resolution radar imagery of Earth, into orbit on 16 March 2023.

The mission, code-named "Stronger Together", was the second Rocket Lab launch from its new launch pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The first launch from Wallops occurred in January 2023.

The two-stage Electron rocket lifted off at 6:00 p.m. EDT (22:00 UTC) at the opening of a two-hour launch window. About nine minutes later, the rocket deployed the two Capella satellites into a low-Earth orbit of about 500 kilometers.

The satellites are part of Capella's constellation that aims to provide near-real-time insights into various activities and events on Earth, such as natural disasters, infrastructure changes and maritime monitoring.

Rocket Lab's founder and CEO Peter Beck said in a statement that he was proud to support Capella's mission to deliver timely and reliable information to decision-makers.

"Capella is a great example of how small satellites can have a big impact on Earth. We're honored to provide them with responsive and reliable access to orbit from both our U.S. and New Zealand launch sites," he said.

Capella's founder and CEO Payam Banazadeh said that Rocket Lab was an ideal partner for his company's rapid expansion.

"Rocket Lab has proven to be a dependable and flexible launch provider for us, enabling us to grow our constellation quickly and efficiently. With this launch, we're one step closer to achieving our vision of providing hourly updates of any point on Earth," he said.

The "Stronger Together" mission was Rocket Lab's fourth launch of 2023 and its 28th overall since 2017. The company plans to launch more missions from both Wallops and its original site in New Zealand later this year.