Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2, Wallops Island, Virginia, USA
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2, Wallops Island, Virginia, USA
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Island, Virginia, USA
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) is part of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Virginia. MARS is adjacent to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), which managed the launch site until 2003. WFF still provides support services for MARS launches under a contract with the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The launch complex consists of three active pads: LP-0A, LP-0B, and LP-0C. Rocket Lab refers to LP-0C as Launch Complex 2 (LC-2). A fourth pad, LP-0D (Launch Complex 3 or LC-3), is currently under construction.
Launch Pads
Pad 0A (LP-0A)
Originally built for the Conestoga rocket program, LP-0A was later redeveloped for Orbital Sciences’ Taurus II rocket, now known as Antares. The pad includes a Horizontal Integration Facility for rocket assembly, a wheeled transporter/erector for launch positioning, and a liquid fueling system.
Key Events:
- April 21, 2013– First Antares launch.
- October 28, 2014– Antares (Cygnus CRS Orb-3) failed six seconds after liftoff, damaging the pad. Repairs, costing $13 million, were completed by September 2015.
- October 17, 2016– Antares resumed flights with the Cygnus CRS OA-5 mission.
- March 2021– Rocket Lab announced plans to launch the Neutron rocket from LP-0A but later decided to build a dedicated Neutron launch site.
- August 2022– Northrop Grumman transitioned Antares from the 200-series to the 300-series, requiring modifications to LP-0A. Firefly Aerospace joined the project, planning to launch the Firefly Alpha rocket and future medium-lift vehicles from this site.
Pad 0B (LP-0B)
Operational since 1999, LP-0B was upgraded in 2003 with a mobile service tower. It supports Northrop Grumman’s Minotaur rockets.
Key Events:
- December 2006– First launch from MARS (Minotaur I).
- September 2013– Launched the LADEE lunar mission, the first deep-space launch from Wallops.
- October 2017– Vector Launch planned missions from LP-0B, but these were canceled due to the company’s bankruptcy.
Launch Complex 2 (Pad 0C)
Rocket Lab selected MARS as its second launch site in October 2018. LC-2 (Pad 0C) was constructed near LP-0A, sharing some infrastructure. Rockets are integrated at a nearby facility before being transported to the pad.
Key Events:
- December 2019– Construction completed; Rocket Lab inaugurated LC-2.
- April 2020– Wet Dress Rehearsal with an Electron rocket.
- January 24, 2023– First launch, “Virginia is for Launch Lovers,” successfully carried three satellites to orbit.
Launch Complex 3 (Pad 0D)
In October 2023, Rocket Lab began building a new pad between LP-0B and LC-2, designated Launch Complex 3 (LC-3) or LP-0D. This site will support the launch and landing of Rocket Lab’s Neutron rocket.