Leidos Mission 2
Well folks, it’s time for another Rocket Lab launch, suborbital this time!
| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-11-24 06:00 |
|---|---|
| Scheduled for (local, EST) | 2024-11-24 01:00 |
| Scheduled for (NZDT) | 2024-11-24 19:00 |
| Launch site | Rocket Lab LC-2 (LP-0C), Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA |
| Booster recovery | No |
| Launch vehicle | Electron (suborbital HASTE variant) |
| Customer | USA Department of Defense |
| Payload | Undisclosed |
Livestreams
| Stream | Link |
|---|---|
| Rocket Lab (official) | none |
| Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/user/SEL9000/streams |
| The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/@TheLaunchPad/streams |
| WAI Plus | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxoSsks7hDc |
| Reality PC | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3xpCwY9ROc |
| pat o. | Stream 1, stream 2, stream 3 |
Stats
- This will be the 13th launch for Rocket Lab this year.
- This will be the 55th overall launch for Rocket Lab.
Payload info:
The Leidos Mission 2 will be Rocket Lab’s second of four missions for the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed (MACH-TB) program. The MACH-TB program was created by the Department of Defense (DoD) to reduce hypersonic risks and swiftly transition to innovative technologies. The payload is expected to be an experimental hypersonic glide body, although the details of the payload remain classified. The first Leidos mission for the MACH-TB program flew on June 17, 2023.
The booster for this mission is a Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE), a modified Electron optimized for hypersonic testing using custom fairings and a modified kick stage. The rocket launches the payload on a suborbital trajectory, providing acceleration towards hypersonic speeds, or over five times the speed of sound.
Previous mission: Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes
Next mission: Ice AIS Baby
Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here! Also feel free to leave feedback or suggestions for the mod team. We’re a relatively new community, so feedback is very valuable!
Looks like stage separation and upper stage ignition.
Liftoff!
pat o. has gone live again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dBfpv9TIdw
Sounds like Rocket Lab are targeting T-0 for the top of the hour, in about five minutes.
Launch arm has retracted.
A user pat o. is livestreaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_3q2WR0I4o
HASTE propellant has been loaded, but the range is red.
https://spacey.space/@kenthebin/113517768641740896
NASA confirms …
Rocket Lab - Flight #55/56 (HIPPO - HASTE suborbital flight #2) Electron from WFF LC-2
NASA Wallops: “The Wallops Range is scheduled to support a suborbital launch between Nov. 21-25 in the evening. We will post an update when the launch is complete, but it will not be live streamed. The Wallops Visitor Center will not be open for launch viewing.”
WAI Plus and Reality PC have livestreams scheduled on YouTube but it is unclear what level of coverage they will provide.
Any idea why it’s not livestreamed? Super secret payload?
Yeah, likely at the request of the USA Department of Defense.
