Electron booster arrives in Virginia for Rocket Lab's 1st-ever US launch

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The Electron is scheduled to lift off in December.

The Electron rocket that will fly Rocket Lab's first-ever mission from the United States arrived at Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, on Oct. 12, 2022.
The Electron rocket that will fly Rocket Lab's first-ever mission from the United States arrived at Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, on Oct. 12, 2022. (Image credit: Rocket Lab)

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket has arrived at a launch complex in Virginia ahead of the company's first liftoff from U.S. soil later this year.

The Electron rocket arrived at Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, on Oct. 12.

Rocket Lab is now working on final preparations for the rocket, which is expected to launch in December and deploy satellites for radio frequency geospatial analytics provider HawkEye 360. 

Related: Rocket Lab and its Electron booster (photos)

The mission will be the first of three Electron launches for HawkEye 360 in a contract that will see Rocket Lab deliver 15 satellites to low Earth orbit between late 2022 and 2024.

"We are looking forward to seeing Electron take to Virginia skies for the first time very soon," Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said in a statement. 

"Rocket Lab has been providing reliable and responsive access to orbit for more than four and a half years with Electron, and we're excited to build on that strong heritage by unlocking a new path to orbit from right here on Virginia's Eastern Shore," Beck added.

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The company's Launch Complex 1 is located in New Zealand and has hosted 31 Electron launches to date. Rocket Lab says the two launch complexes combined can support more than 130 launch opportunities each year.

Rocket Lab has also committed to build Neutron, a larger, next-generation reusable booster, in Virginia. Neutron is currently expected to have a first test flight in 2024.

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Andrew Jones
Andrew Jones
Contributing Writer

Andrew is a freelance space journalist with a focus on reporting on China's rapidly growing space sector. He began writing for Space.com in 2019 and writes for SpaceNews, IEEE Spectrum, National Geographic, Sky & Telescope, New Scientist and others. Andrew first caught the space bug when, as a youngster, he saw Voyager images of other worlds in our solar system for the first time. Away from space, Andrew enjoys trail running in the forests of Finland. You can follow him on Twitter @AJ_FI.