Rocket Lab to launch NASA astrophysics science mission

Rocket Lab (RKLB) “announced it has been selected by NASA to launch its Aspera mission, an astrophysics science mission designed to study the formation and evolution of galaxies and provide new insights into how the universe works. Rocket Lab will launch the Aspera spacecraft on Electron from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 no earlier than Q1 2026. Through the use of a telescope to study ultraviolet light, Aspera will examine hot gas in the space between galaxies, called the intergalactic medium, that is thought to contribute to the birth of stars and planets. Aspera will be the first NASA astrophysics mission to gather and map these ultraviolet light signatures, potentially unlocking a deeper understanding of the origins of stars, planets, and life in the universe.”