
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
Rocket Lab launched a satellite for a mystery customer on Thursday morning (Nov. 20).
The liftoff, which occurred at 7:43 a.m. EST (1243 GMT) from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site, came as something of a surprise. The company formally announced the impending launch of its workhorse Electron rocket less than five hours ahead of time.
The mission, called "Follow My Speed" was a complete success, Rocket Lab announced via X on Thursday morning.
"Today's 'Follow My Speed' mission marks 18 launches with 100% mission success for 2025 — more than any other year in Electron's history — making our rocket the most frequently flown orbital small launch vehicle in the world," the company said in another Thursday X post.
Fifteen of those 18 launches have been orbital missions. The other three were suborbital flights involving HASTE, a modified version of the 59-foot-tall (18-meter-tall) Electron that allows customers to test hypersonic technologies in the space environment.
We don't know much about "Follow My Speed."
Rocket Lab described the mission in vague terms only, saying that its goal was "to deploy a single satellite for a confidential commercial customer."
Keeping things so close to the vest isn't exactly odd for launch companies, who regularly loft national-security payloads or commercial satellites with sensitive, proprietary tech. Rocket Lab, for example, launched five satellites for a confidential customer just three months ago.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
8 Fundamental Stages: Novice's Manual for Secure Your Android with a VPN - 2
Fundamental Archives for Beginning Your Business - 3
23 Most Amusing Messages At any point Sent Among Kids and Their Folks - 4
Behind every perfect holiday memory is a mom on the brink - 5
Instructions to Choose the Best Material Organization for a Fruitful Rooftop Substitution
US FDA investigates Takeda's blood disorder drug after pediatric death
A Manual for Pick Viable Psychological well-being Backing Administrations In 2024
Find the Mysteries of Effective Objective Setting: Transforming Dreams into Feasible Targets
Will Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) be the 'great comet' of 2026?
Instructions to Distinguish the Wellbeing Dangers Related with 5G Pinnacles
The most effective method to Safeguard Your Teeth from Acidic Food varieties and Beverages
France, Germany, Italy summon Iranian envoys over 'unbearable, inhumane' regime crackdown
Which restaurants and fast food chains will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
New science points to 4 distinct types of autism











