On July 7, Rocket Lab Corporation announced mission success for its role in the U.S. Space Force’s (USSF) VICTUS HAZE mission.
This historic mission required Rocket Lab to design, build, and test a Pioneer spacecraft for the USSF, launch it on Electron within 24 hours’ notice, commission the spacecraft within 72 hours, and then conduct complex rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) on orbit within 84 hours to pursue, monitor, approach, and photograph another target satellite in a demonstration of a rapid threat-response scenario.
Rocket Lab successfully completed all mission phases faster than the deadlines set by the Space Force, setting records and delivering new standards in responsive space, according to the company.
While traditional missions have relied on separate contractors for rockets, satellites, and operations in space, Rocket Lab is delivering all three for VICTUS HAZE – the first time a single prime contractor has provided an entire all-in-one mission for the TacRS program.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, said, “Rocket Lab has set the new standard in responsive space with VICTUS HAZE. Delivering a fully integrated and complete mission capability when the clock is ticking is a proud moment for the Rocket Lab team in a long history of delivering mission success for the United States and its allies. Now that the primary mission is complete, we look forward to continuing to push Pioneer on orbit under new and complex Space Force task orders to deliver new capabilities.”
Deployed by the USSF’s Space Systems Command (SSC), led by the Space Safari Program Office, in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), VICTUS HAZE is a Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission generating the vital data, technology, and real-world operational experience needed to make that rapid response a repeatable reality.
Source: Rocket Lab
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