NASA selects Rocket Lab for two 2027 Earth‑science missions

NASA announced that Rocket Lab will launch the PolSIR and TSIS‑2 science missions using its Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand. PolSIR, slated for no earlier than June 2027, will deploy two CubeSats to study tropical ice clouds and their interaction with sunlight and heat, aiming to improve weather and climate forecasts. TSIS‑2, targeted for early 2027, will measure the total solar energy reaching Earth across the full spectrum, supporting research on ocean currents, seasons and climate change.

The missions are part of NASA’s VADR contract, which has a maximum value of US$300 million over ten years. The selection is expected to boost Rocket Lab’s share price and highlights the company’s rapid‑turnaround Electron production line, which can now build a rocket every 11 days.