Rocket Lab to Launch NASA's PolSIR and TSIS-2 Missions Under VADR
NASA selects Rocket Lab under the Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) to launch PolSIR and TSIS-2, two sun/earth science missions. PolSIR uses two 16U CubeSats to study tropical high-altitude ice clouds and their impact on sunlight and heat, launching on Electron rockets from Mahia, New Zealand no earlier than June 2027; TSIS-2 will be a free-flying spacecraft measuring total and spectral solar irradiance to track Earth's energy input, launching in early 2027. The VADR contract can total up to $300 million over NASA's 10-year ordering period and is managed by NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center.