Strengthening its Earth and space science research, NASA has selected Rocket Lab to provide launch services for the Polarized Submillimeter Ice-cloud Radiometer (PolSIR) and Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-2 (TSIS-2) missions. The launches will be carried out under NASA’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) contract.
The VADR contract enables NASA to issue fixed-price launch service task orders over a 10-year period, with a maximum total contract value of US$300 million.
Rocket Lab will launch the PolSIR mission aboard 2 dedicated Electron rockets from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, no earlier than June 2027. The mission consists of 2 16U CubeSats designed to study high-altitude ice clouds across tropical and subtropical regions. By measuring changes in cloud ice throughout the day, the mission will help scientists better understand storm formation, the impact of ice clouds on sunlight and heat radiation, and improve weather forecasting.
The PolSIR mission is led by Vanderbilt University, with science operations managed by the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin. The spacecraft are being built by Blue Canyon Technologies.
Rocket Lab will also launch the TSIS-2 mission aboard an Electron rocket in early 2027 from Launch Complex 1. The mission will measure the Sun’s energy reaching Earth, providing critical data to improve understanding of ocean currents, seasons and weather patterns.
TSIS-2 will measure both the Sun’s total irradiance and spectral irradiance using the Total Irradiance Monitor and Spectral Irradiance Monitor, covering 96% of the solar spectrum. Unlike TSIS-1, which operates from the International Space Station, TSIS-2 will function from a free-flying spacecraft.
The mission is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, with scientific instruments provided by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder and the spacecraft built by General Atomics – Electromagnetic Systems. NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center manages the VADR contract.
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