NASA’s Aspera smallsat mission, which will investigate gasses in the immense voids between galaxies, will be launched by Rocket Lab.
Aspera, a cubesat being constructed by NASA and the University of Arizona, will be launched by Rocket Lab’s Electron. The shoebox-sized satellite will examine the ultraviolet light released by gasses drifting between galaxies using an onboard telescope.
The launch from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026. In addition to the increasing number of science missions that the agency has entrusted the launch company with, such as PREFIRE, TROPICS, and CAPSTONE, Rocket Lab’s selection is part of NASA’s $300 million Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract.
In a statement, Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck stated, “As a long-trusted launch partner for NASA’s most innovative small satellites, it’s great to be able to continue that support for another innovative science mission like Aspera.”
Aspera will measure the circumgalactic medium, or the influx and outflow of gases between galaxies, which scientists think may play a role in galaxy evolution and star formation. The mission is a component of NASA’s Astrophysics Division’s Pioneers Program, which funds less expensive astrophysics missions.
“We have a good understanding of how much gas there must be in galaxies to explain how many stars we see, but we’ve searched far and wide and still cannot find most of it,” Carlos Vargas, Principal Investigator for Aspera, stated in a February update from the University of Arizona regarding the manufacturing process of the mission.
Additionally, Rocket Lab has been hired to use their new, partially reusable rocket, Neutron, to launch a mission with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). With its AFRL mission scheduled for 2026, Neutron is expected to make its initial launch later this year.
The 59-foot (18-meter) Electron is expected to launch again on Saturday, May 17. For the business iQPS, that mission will launch a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellite called QPS-SAR-10, also known as “WADATSUMI-I” after the Japanese sea deity. The spaceship will become part of the expanding constellation of high-resolution Earth-imaging satellites operated by iQPS.
