Overview
- NASA announced on June 25, 2026 that it selected Rocket Lab to provide three Electron launches for the PolSIR and TSIS-2 science missions under the Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) contract.
- Rocket Lab will fly TSIS-2 on a single Electron in early 2027 and will launch the twin PolSIR 16U CubeSats on two back-to-back Electrons no earlier than June 2027 from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand.
- TSIS-2, managed by Goddard with instruments from LASP and a spacecraft from General Atomics, will measure total and spectral solar irradiance to track the Sun’s energy input to Earth for climate and ozone studies.
- PolSIR consists of two Blue Canyon-built 16U CubeSats led by Vanderbilt University that will sample high-altitude ice in tropical and subtropical clouds to improve weather and storm forecasting models.
- NASA shifted TSIS-2 from a previously planned Falcon 9 rideshare after multiyear vendor delays and chose Rocket Lab for Electron’s meter-level deployment accuracy and rapid turnaround, a decision that signals growing use of agile, dedicated small-launch services for time-sensitive science missions.