NASA has booked another Venture Class flight on RocketLab’s Electron (it had previously ordered one to take place this summer from the Mahia Penisula in New Zealand) and a booking for a flight on Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne. Each mission for NASA is expected to carry approximately a dozen CubeSats each – mainly to provide launches for its ElaNa programme which encourages the construction of innovative Cubesats. If the missions are successful, NASA will look at options for buying additional flights.
Post Script: York Space Systems has hooked up with launch provider Rocket Lab to offer a streamlined launch service for its S-class satellite design. Read the CNN report here