 The LP-0B (left) and LP-0A (center, with the large water tower). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Launch Pad 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Launch site | MARS (WFF) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°51′N75°28′W / 37.850°N 75.467°W /37.850; -75.467 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Short name | LP-0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Owners: NASA (Wallops) Virginia Space (MARS) Tenants: Northrop Grumman andFirefly Aerospace (LP-0A) Northrop Grumman (LP-0B) Rocket Lab (LC-2 and LC-3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total launches | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Launch pad | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Launch Pad 0 (LP-0), also known asLaunch Complex 0 (LC-0),[2] orLaunch Area 0 (LA-0),[3] is alaunch complex at theMid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) onWallops Island,Virginia, in theUnited States.[2] MARS is located right next to theNASAWallops Flight Facility (WFF), which had run the launch complex until 2003.[4] WFF still provides support services to MARS launches under a contract with theCommonwealth of Virginia.[4]
The launch complex consists of four individuallaunch pads, LP-0A, LP-0B, LP-0C, and LP-0D, the latter two referred to by tenantRocket Lab as Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) and 3 (LC-3).[5]
LP-0A (located at37°50′02″N75°29′16″W / 37.833959°N 75.4878331°W /37.833959; -75.4878331 (Wallops Island Launch Pad 0-A)) was first built for the failedConestoga rocket program.[6] The original launch tower was subsequently demolished in September 2008. A new pad facility was built from 2009 to 2011 forOrbital SciencesTaurus II, now renamedAntares. Pad modifications for Antares included the construction of aHorizontal Integration Facility for launcher/payload mating and a wheeled transporter/erector that will roll out and erect the rocket on its launch pad about 24 hours prior to launch. The first launch of Antares occurred on April 21, 2013.
The pad was reinforced with pilings and features a liquid fueling facility, flame trench, and deluge system for cooling and sound suppression. The pad is capable of supporting a gross liftoff weight of 453.6 metric tons (1,000,000 lb) and can launch payloads of up to 5,035 kilograms (11,100 lb) intolow Earth orbit.[7]
On October 28, 2014, an Orbital Systems Antares rocket, flying as missionCygnus CRS Orb-3, crashed 6 seconds after takeoff and appeared to have done significant damage to the launch pad itself. On October 29, 2014, teams of investigators began examining debris at the crash site.[8] By May 2015, estimates had been revised down to around US$13 million. At that time, NASA had committed US$5 million, Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority committed US$3 million andOrbital ATK US$3 million. Repairs were underway and planned to be completed by September 2015, but repairs were only funded up to August with Virginia CSFA requesting that Orbital provide the remaining US$2 million. On September 30, 2015, the spaceport announced repairs on pad 0A had been completed.[9] The launch pad resumed flight operations with theCygnus CRS OA-5 mission on October 17, 2016.[10]
In March 2021,Rocket Lab announced that they would launch their upcomingmedium-lift launch vehicleNeutron from LP-0A,[11] with the initial launch planned for as early as 2024.[12] However, Rocket Lab later opted to construct their own Neutron launch site between Pad 0B and Pad 0C.
In August 2022, Northrop Grumman announced that they plan to transition from the 200-series to the 300-series of Antares, as theRussian invasion of Ukraine in February ended the production of the Russian-designed and Ukrainian-builtRD-181 used as the first stage engine. As a result, LP-0A and surrounding facilities would require moderate renovations in order to support the upgraded rocket's larger first stage to be produced byFirefly Aerospace.[13] As part of the renovation, Firefly also announced that the facility will become an East Coast launch site of their ownFirefly Alpha lifter upon the pad's completion, helping support existing operations fromSLC-2W atVandenberg Space Force Base and future operations atSLC-20 atCape Canaveral.[14] In addition, Firefly and Northrop Grumman plans for LP-0A to support the launching and landing of their Antares successor currently in development,Eclipse.
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LP-0B (located at37°49′52″N75°29′29″W / 37.8311576°N 75.4913829°W /37.8311576; -75.4913829 (Wallops Island Launch Pad 0-B)) became operational in 1999,[15] and was subsequently upgraded in 2003 with the construction of amobile service tower, which was completed in 2004.[16] It is active, and is currently used byNorthrop GrummanMinotaur rockets. The first launch from LP-0B was of a Minotaur I in December 2006,[17] and was the first launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.
Pad 0B hosted the Minotaur V launch of theLADEE lunar orbiter in 2013, becoming the first (and so far only) beyond-Earth mission to launch from Wallops.
On October 19, 2017,Vector Launch announced plans to conduct three launches from near Pad 0B with its then-in-developmentVector-R small satellite launch vehicle over the subsequent two years, with an option for five additional launches.[18] However, following the company's bankruptcy and restructuring, plans for these launches are unlikely.
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In October 2018,Rocket Lab announced that it had selected Mid-Atlantic as its second launch site (the launch site inMahia had at the time 2 pads, so this was Rocket Lab's third launch pad) calledRocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) orLaunch Pad 0C (located at37°50′00″N75°29′18″W / 37.833266°N 75.4882304°W /37.833266; -75.4882304 (Wallops Island Launch Complex-2)). The new launch pad is near Pad 0A (and shares some systems with Pad 0A).[19][20][21][22] Rockets launched from LC-2 are integrated at Rocket Lab's integration facility, located just a few miles away from the pad. They are transported to the pad and integrated onto the strongback.[23]
In December 2019, construction was completed and Rocket Lab inaugurated Launch Complex 2 at Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.[19] In April 2020, Rocket Lab performed a Wet Dress Rehearsal with an Electron rocket on the pad.[21]
The first launch from LC-2 successfully occurred on January 24, 2023. AnElectron rocket carried three satellites to orbit in a mission named "Virginia is for Launch Lovers".[24][1][25]
In October 2023, Rocket Lab began construction on a new pad at MARS located between LP-0B and LC-2. Christened asRocket Lab Launch Complex 3 (LC-3) orLaunch Pad 0D, the site is intended to support the launch operations of Rocket Lab's upcomingNeutron launch vehicle.[26] The pad was officially declared ready for use on September 2, 2025, with aribbon-cutting ceremony being held and attended byVirginia GovernorGlenn Youngkin, Rocket Lab CEOPeter Beck, and other notable staff.[27]
Conestoga launch operated bySpace Services. Antares launches operated byOrbital Sciences Corporation in 2013 and 2014,Orbital ATK from 2016 to May 2018, andNorthrop Grumman since November 2018.
| No. | Date | Time (UTC) | Launch vehicle | Configuration | Payload | Result | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 October 1995 | 22:02 | Conestoga | Conestoga 1620 | METEOR | Failure | First launch from LP-0A, and only orbital launch of Conestoga. First launch from MARS and first non-Scout orbital launch from Wallops. Low frequency noise caused erroneous course changes, leading to self-destruction 46 seconds after launch. |
| 2 | 21 April 2013 | 21:00 | Antares | Antares 110 | Antares A-ONE | Success[28] | Maiden flight of Antares, and first successful launch from LP-0A. First of two demo missions forCommercial Orbital Transportation Services. Carried aboilerplate payload. |
| 3 | 18 September 2013 | 14:58 | Antares | Antares 110 | Cygnus Orb-D1 | Success | Second and last of two demo missions for COTS. First launch of an operationalCygnus spacecraft, going to theInternational Space Station.[29] Made Wallops/MARS the fifth space center to launch a payload to the ISS, afterBaikonur,Cape Canaveral/KSC,Kourou, andTanegashima. |
| 4 | 9 January 2014 | 18:07 | Antares | Antares 120 | Cygnus CRS Orb-1 | Success | ISS resupply flight.[30][31][32] |
| 5 | 13 July 2014 | 16:52 | Antares | Antares 120 | Cygnus CRS Orb-2 | Success | ISS resupply flight.[33] |
| 6 | 28 October 2014[34] | 22:22 | Antares | Antares 130 | Cygnus CRS Orb-3 | Failure[35] | ISS resupply flight. Final flight of Antares 100, and final flight of Cygnus's standard variant. Turbopump failure in first stage engine caused rocket to fall back onto pad, activatingrange safety protocols 23 seconds after launch. Pad was extensively damaged by flight, leading tothreeCygnusflights to be moved toAtlas V. |
| 7 | 17 October 2016[36] | 23:45 | Antares | Antares 230 | Cygnus CRS OA-5 | Success | ISS resupply flight. First launch from LP-0A since Orb-3, and maiden flight of Antares 200. First flight from LP-0A operated byOrbital ATK, and first flight of Cygnus's enhanced variant from MARS. |
| 8 | 12 November 2017 | 12:19 | Antares | Antares 230 | Cygnus CRS OA-8E | Success | ISS resupply flight. |
| 9 | 21 May 2018 | 08:44 | Antares | Antares 230 | Cygnus CRS OA-9E | Success | ISS resupply flight. |
| 10 | 17 November 2018 | 09:01 | Antares | Antares 230 | Cygnus CRS NG-10 | Success | ISS resupply flight. First launch from LP-0A and first Cygnus flight operated byNorthrop Grumman. |
| 11 | 17 April 2019 | 16:46 | Antares | Antares 230 | Cygnus CRS NG-11 | Success | ISS resupply flight. |
| 12 | 2 November 2019 | 13:59 | Antares | Antares 230+ | Cygnus CRS NG-12 | Success | ISS resupply flight. Contained theNational Reconnaissance Office'sIMPACT-2A and 2B demonstration satellites as asecondary payload. |
| 13 | 15 February 2020 | 20:21 | Antares | Antares 230+ | Cygnus CRS NG-13 | Success | ISS resupply flight. |
| 14 | 3 October 2020 | 02:16 | Antares | Antares 230+ | Cygnus CRS NG-14 | Success | ISS resupply flight. |
| 15 | 20 February 2021 | 17:36 | Antares | Antares 230+ | Cygnus CRS NG-15 | Success | ISS resupply flight. |
| 16 | 10 August 2021 | 22:01 | Antares | Antares 230+ | Cygnus CRS NG-16 | Success | ISS resupply flight. |
| 17 | 19 February 2022 | 17:40 | Antares | Antares 230+ | Cygnus CRS NG-17 | Success | ISS resupply flight. |
| 18 | 7 November 2022 | 10:32 | Antares | Antares 230+ | Cygnus CRS NG-18 | Success | ISS resupply flight. |
| 19 | 2 August 2023 | 00:31 | Antares | Antares 230+ | Cygnus CRS NG-19 | Success | ISS resupply flight. Final flight of Antares 200, being forced to retire due to first stage production being jeopardized by theRussian invasion of Ukraine. Led tofouradditionalCygnusflights (withone being replaced following damage during shipping) to be moved toFalcon 9. |
ALV X-1 launch operated byAlliant Techsystems. Minotaur launches operated byOrbital Sciences Corporation from 2006 to 2013, andNorthrop Grumman since 2020.
| No. | Date | Time (UTC) | Launch vehicle | Payload | Result | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 December 2006 | 12:00 | Minotaur I | TacSat-2 /GeneSat-1 | Success[37] | Experimental satellite developed by theAir Force Research Laboratory. First launch from LP-0B and first Minotaur launch from the East Coast. |
| 2 | 24 April 2007 | 06:48 | Minotaur I | NFIRE | Success[37] | Missile Defense Agency satellite aimed at analyzingrocket plumes. |
| 3 | 22 August 2008 | 09:10 | ALV X-1 | Hy-BoLT / SOAREX-VI | Failure[38] | Suborbital launch. Carried twohypersonics payloads forNASA. Only flight of the ATK Launch Vehicle.Range safety protocols engaged 20 seconds into launch after veering off-course. |
| 4 | 19 May 2009 | 23:55 | Minotaur I | TacSat-3 | Success | Experimental satellite developed by theAir Force Research Laboratory. |
| 5 | 30 June 2011 | 03:09 | Minotaur I | ORS-1 | Success | Reconnaissance satellite for theOperationally Responsive Space Office, also known as USA-231. |
| 6 | 7 September 2013 | 03:27 | Minotaur V | LADEE | Success | Lunar orbiter, aimed at studying theMoon and itsatmosphere. Maiden flight of the Minotaur V and the first orbital civilian launch from LP-0B. First flight from Wallops to go to another celestial body. |
| 7 | 20 November 2013 | 01:15 | Minotaur I | ORS 3,STPSat-3 | Success | Reconnaissance satellite for theOperationally Responsive Space Office. |
| 8 | 15 July 2020[39] | 13:46 | Minotaur IV | NROL-129 | Success | NRO launch. Four unknown satellites, also known as USA-305 to USA-308. First Minotaur IV flight from Wallops, and first launch for theNational Reconnaissance Office from Wallops. |
| 9 | 15 June 2021 | 13:35 | Minotaur I | NROL-111 | Success | NRO launch. Three unknown satellites, also known as USA-316 to USA 318. |
All launches operated byRocket Lab.
| No. | Date | Time (UTC) | Launch vehicle | Mission | Payload | Result | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 January 2023 | 23:00 | Electron | "Virginia Is For Launch Lovers" | HawkEye 360 Cluster 6 | Success | First launch from LC-2/LP-0C, and first Electron launch from the United States.[40] |
| 2 | 16 March 2023 | 22:39 | Electron | "Stronger Together" | Capella 9 /Capella 10 | Success | |
| 3 | 18 June 2023 | 01:25 | Electron (HASTE) | "Scout's Arrow" | DYNAMO-A | Success | Suborbital launch. First flight of Electron in the HASTE configuration. |
| 4 | 21 March 2024 | 07:25 | Electron | "Live and Let Fly" | NROL-123 | Success | NRO launch. Also known as RASR-5, containing four satellites including USA-352. First orbital military launch from LC-2. |
| 5 | 24 November 2024 | 06:00 | Electron (HASTE) | "HASTE A La Vista" | MACH-TB | Success | First of four HASTE launches forLeidos and the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed project. |
| 6 | 14 December 2024 | 01:00 | Electron (HASTE) | "Stonehenge" | Unknown | Success | |
| 7 | 23 September 2025 | 00:00 | Electron (HASTE) | "Jenna" | Unknown | Success | |
| 8 | 1 October 2025 | 00:28 | Electron (HASTE) | "Justin" | Unknown | Success | |
| 9 | 18 November 2025 | 13:00 | Electron (HASTE) | "Prometheus Run" | Van | Success | Primary payload "Van" developed by theApplied Physics Laboratory, which tested key technologies for missile defense applications. |
| Date | Launch vehicle | Payload |
|---|---|---|
| 8 December 2025 | Electron | STP-S30 |
