• The launch is the second of two dedicated Electron launches for NASA’s PREFIRE mission to detect heat loss over the Arctic and Antarctica

LONG BEACH, Calif. / May 29, 2024 / Business Wire / Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today confirmed the scheduled launch date for the second of two back-to-back Electron launches for NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) climate change-focused mission.

The ‘PREFIRE and Ice’ launch is scheduled to take place on 1 June NZST just seven days after the first PREFIRE launch, ‘Ready, Aim, PREFIRE,’ which successfully launched on May 25^th, 2024. ‘PREFIRE and Ice’ will lift-off from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand during a launch window that opens at 3:00 pm NZST (03:00 am, 1 June UTC).

NASA’s PREFIRE mission consists of two shoebox-size cube satellites that will measure the amount of heat Earth radiates into space from Earth’s poles. Data from the PREFIRE mission will help researchers better predict how Earth’s ice, seas, and weather will change in a warming world. At the heart of the PREFIRE mission is Earth’s energy budget – the balance between incoming heat energy from the Sun and the outgoing heat given off by the planet. The difference between the two is what determines the planet’s temperature and climate. A lot of the heat radiated from the Arctic and Antarctica is emitted as far-infrared radiation, but there is currently no detailed measurement of this type of energy. The water vapor content of the atmosphere, along with the presence, structure, and composition of clouds, influences the amount of far-infrared radiation that escapes into space from Earth’s poles. Data collected from PREFIRE will give researchers information on where and when far-infrared energy radiates from the Arctic and Antarctic environments into space.

Rocket Lab’s ability to launch dedicated missions to precise orbits in quick succession is critical to the success of PREFIRE. The mission requires two separate satellites to follow similar trajectories but along different paths to overlap with each other every few hours near the Arctic and Antarctica and capture accurate heat loss measurements.

‘PREFIRE and Ice’ will be Rocket Lab’s 49^th Electron launch overall and seventh launch of 2024.

Images and video: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBp4Cy

About Rocket Lab

Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and on-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier, and more affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small orbital launch vehicle, a family of flight proven spacecraft, and the Company is developing the large Neutron launch vehicle for constellation deployment. Since its first orbital launch in January 2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered 180+ satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations, enabling operations in national security, scientific research, space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications. Rocket Lab’s family of spacecraft have been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three launch pads at two launch sites, including two launch pads at a private orbital launch site located in New Zealand and a third launch pad in Virginia. To learn more, visit www.rocketlabusa.com.

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