Rocket Lab Prepares to Bring In-Space Manufacturing Capsule Back to Earth for Varda Space Industries

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, today announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the reentry of Varda Space Industries’ (“Varda”) in-space manufacturing capsule, enabling Rocket Lab to commence a series of complex in-space maneuvers and de-orbit burns on the Rocket Lab-built and operated satellite currently hosting the capsule on orbit.

This is the first time the FAA has granted a Part 450 reentry license and also the first time the Department of Defense has worked with a commercial space company to allow reentry of this kind of mission on a government-owned range. Varda’s capsule is targeted for reentry and landing in the Utah Desert.

In the coming days, Rocket Lab will conduct a series of maneuvers to bring the capsule, named Winnebago-1, back to Earth.

• Evening of February 18, PT: Initial burn of the Curie engine on Rocket Lab’s spacecraft to slow the spacecraft down, lower its perigee, and place Winnebago-1 in its first staging orbit. Target orbit: 300km x 500km.
• Afternoon of February 20, PT: A second engine burn to raise the spacecraft’s apogee, the point at which the spacecraft passes farthest from Earth, and place Winnebago-1 in its second staging orbit. Target orbit: 300km x 900km.
• Afternoon of February 21, PT: The spacecraft’s third and fourth final engine burns to de-orbit and set Winnebago-1 on its atmospheric reentry trajectory.

For more than eight months in space, Rocket Lab’s 300kg-class spacecraft has successfully provided power, communications, ground control, and attitude control to allow Varda’s capsule to grow Ritonavir crystals, a drug commonly used as an antiviral medication for HIV and hepatitis C.

Due to the initial planned reentry date being adjusted from late 2023, Rocket Lab’s spacecraft has been required to operate for more than double its intended orbital lifespan, which it has done without issue. The extended nominal performance of the spacecraft is testament to its robust design, flight-proven hardware and subsystems, and an experienced team of mission operators. The spacecraft incorporates Rocket Lab-designed and manufactured components and software including star trackers, propulsion system, reaction wheels, solar panels, flight software, radios, composite structures and tanks, and separation systems.

This mission is the first of four which will use identical Rocket Lab spacecraft to support Varda’s in-space manufacturing. The second spacecraft has completed assembly, integration, and testing at Rocket Lab’s spacecraft production facility in Long Beach, California, and is scheduled to launch in the coming months.

For live updates throughout the reentry process, follow Rocket Lab and Varda on X.

+ 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, the Photon satellite platform, 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 176 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 Photon spacecraft platform has 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.

+ FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

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