Name: NZSA Venus Mission — Neutron
Start: 2027-12-31T00:00:00Z
End: 2027-12-31T00:00:00Z
Location: Rocket Lab Launch Complex 3 (Launch Area 0 D)

Question 1

What rocket is launching NZSA Venus Mission?

Accepted Answer

NZSA Venus Mission is launching on the Neutron.

Question 2

Who is launching NZSA Venus Mission?

Accepted Answer

NZSA Venus Mission is being launched by Rocket Lab, a commercial launch provider founded in 2006.

Question 3

Where is NZSA Venus Mission launching from?

Accepted Answer

NZSA Venus Mission is launching from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 3 (Launch Area 0 D) at Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA.

Question 4

What orbit is NZSA Venus Mission heading to?

Accepted Answer

NZSA Venus Mission is heading to Heliocentric N/A (Helio-N/A).

Question 5

Is the Neutron reusable?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the Neutron is designed to be reused, with boosters that can fly multiple missions.

Question 6

What is the NZSA Venus Mission mission?

Accepted Answer

NZSA Venus Mission is a small direct Venus entry probe with a single 1 kg low-mass, low-cost autofluorescing nephelometer riding on a satellite bus based on the Photon Upper stage of the Electron rocket.

The probe mission will spend approximately 5 minutes in the Venus cloud layers, 48-60 km above the surface, collecting in situ measurements to search for organic molecules in cloud particles and constrain particle composition.

Question 7

Where is NASA's Wallops Flight Facility?

Accepted Answer

Wallops Flight Facility is NASA's own launch range on Virginia's Eastern Shore, operating since 1945 and managed through Goddard Space Flight Center. It also hosts the commercial Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS).

Question 8

What launches from Wallops?

Accepted Answer

Wallops flies NASA's long-running sounding-rocket programme alongside orbital launches: Northrop Grumman's Cygnus cargo missions to the ISS on the Antares rocket from Pad 0A, Minotaur vehicles from Pad 0B, and Rocket Lab's Electron from Launch Complex 2.

Question 9

Can you watch a launch from Wallops?

Accepted Answer

The NASA Wallops Visitor Center is the designated public viewing area and posts information for each flight. Nearby Chincoteague and the Assateague seashore also give open-horizon views across the water.

Question 10

What was the first orbital launch from Wallops?

Accepted Answer

The first orbital launch from Wallops was TacSat-2, on an Orbital Sciences Minotaur in December 2006. Wallops later launched LADEE, the first deep-space mission to fly from Virginia, in 2013.

NZSA Venus Mission

Overview

Mission details

Launch Window

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 3 (Launch Area 0 D)

Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Frequently asked questions