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Governor Northam Announces Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Selected for Rocket Lab’s First Launch Site and Integration Facility on U.S. Soil

Rocket Lab to expand launch capability as newest customer of Virginia Space and Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam announced today that Rocket Lab, a California-based company, has chosen Virginia Space and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport as the location for Launch Complex-2 (LC-2), Rocket Lab’s first launch facility located in the United States.

Vector and Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority Announce Three Upcoming Orbital Launches from Wallops Island

~Vector Showcases Execution of Technical Operations Featuring the Vector-R Launch Vehicle at Wallops Island as Part of the Agreement with Virginia Space~

October 18, 2017: Employees of Virginia Space and Vector celebrate the display of the 
Vector-R rocket in front of the Virginia Space Wallops office.

RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Vector, a nanosatellite launch company comprised of new-space and enterprise software industry veterans from SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, Sea Launch and VMware, has entered into an agreement with Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (Virginia Space) to conduct three commercial orbital missions out of Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) in the next 24 months with an option for five additional launches.
 

Virginia Opens Unmanned Aircraft Runway on Wallops Island

~After cutting ribbon, Governor McAuliffe becomes first governor to fly in autonomous aircraft~

WALLOPS ISLAND – Governor Terry McAuliffe today celebrated the opening of Virginia's newest asset in drone technology research – a runway for unmanned aircraft – and then experienced the future of aviation firsthand by flying in a plane that can be piloted from the ground.

Governor McAuliffe visited NASA Wallops Flight Facility for a ribbon-cutting on the runway, a $5.8 million state-funded project officially known as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MARS UAS) Airfield.

“The MARS UAS Airfield presents a significant new capability for Wallops and the Hampton Roads region,” Governor McAuliffe said. “It propels Virginia further on its quest to become a national leader in autonomous technology and industry, which is at the heart of our efforts to build a new Virginia economy.”

Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Governor McAuliffe boarded an Aurora Centaur, an optionally piloted aircraft that can be operated remotely from a ground control station, and flew in the plane over Wallops Island.

“This new facility at Wallops provides government and commercial users with a runway under restricted airspace on a secure federal facility – discreetness that is of high interest for research and development,” Virginia Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne said.

“The new UAS runway is an outstanding and strategic addition to the vast array of unmanned systems assets in the Commonwealth,” said Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson. “The addition of these unique capabilities will provide the opportunity for even more companies and organizations to test their systems in Virginia.”

Orbital ATK Conducts Test of Antares First Stage

Initial Data Points to Successful “Hot Fire” of Upgraded First Stage and New Propulsion System Company on Track for July Launch of OA-5 CRS Mission to the International Space Station from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility

Dulles, VA 31 May 2016 – Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, today announced it conducted a full-power "hot fire" test of the upgraded first stage propulsion system of its Antares medium-class rocket using new RD-181 main engines. The 30-second test took place at 5:30 p.m. (EDT) on May 31, 2016 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Pad 0A. Initial indications are that the test was fully successful. The Antares engineering team will review test data over the next several days to confirm that all test parameters were met. Assuming the success of the test is confirmed, it will clear the way for the resumption of Orbital ATK’s cargo logistics missions to the International Space Station (ISS) from Wallops Island, Virginia, currently scheduled for July.