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NASA Awards Launch Service Task Order for Aspera's Galaxy Mission

  • On May 14, 2025, NASA assigned Rocket Lab USA Inc. The task of launching the Aspera SmallSat mission aboard an Electron rocket from the company’s New Zealand launch facility.
  • NASA awarded Rocket Lab a contract under its specialized launch services program, which permits fixed-price task orders over a five-year span with a total ceiling of $300 million.
  • The Aspera mission will study hot gas in the intergalactic medium by observing ultraviolet light to understand gas flows that may influence star formation between galaxies.
  • Carlos Vargas, principal investigator from the University of Arizona, explained that while scientists have a clear idea of the amount of gas required within galaxies to account for the observed star populations, extensive searches have yet to locate the majority of this gas.
  • Aspera, part of NASA's lower-cost Pioneers Program, will launch no earlier than early 2026 on Rocket Lab's Electron rocket, providing new insights into galaxy formation and evolution.
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NASA Awards Launch Service Task Order for Aspera's Galaxy Mission

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA has selected Rocket Lab USA Inc. of Long Beach, California, to launch the agency's Aspera mission, a SmallSat to study galaxy formation and evolution, providing new insights into how the universe works.

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NASA (Source) broke the news in Washington, United States on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
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