August 4, 2025
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Breaking News
  • [ August 3, 2025 ] Starlink mission marks SpaceX’s 450th flight-proven Falcon booster launched Falcon 9
  • [ August 1, 2025 ] NASA, SpaceX ‘thread the clouds’ to launch Crew-11 to the International Space Station Falcon 9
  • [ July 31, 2025 ] Launch preview: SpaceX, NASA launches Crew-11 following 1-day weather scrub Falcon 9
  • [ July 29, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
  • [ July 28, 2025 ] SpaceX, NASA conduct static fire test of a Falcon 9 rocket ahead of the Crew-11 launch Falcon 9

BlackSky

Electron

Rocket Lab launches BlackSky’s next Gen-3 satellite on Electron rocket from New Zealand

June 2, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission will be Rocket Lab’s seventh Electron rocket launch of the year and its second in 2025 in support of BlackSky. Teams are targeting liftoff from Mahia, New Zealand at 11:57 a.m. NZT on June 3 (7:57 p.m. EDT, 2357 UTC on June 2).

Electron

Rocket Lab launches BlackSky Gen-3 satellite on 60th Electron flight

February 18, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission, dubbed ‘Fasten Your Space Belts,’ was Rocket Lab’s second launch of the year and its ninth launch supporting BlackSky as a customer. Liftoff from New Zealand happened at 12:17 p.m. NZDT on Feb. 19 (6:17 p.m. EST, 2317 UCT on Feb. 18).

Mission Reports

Rocket Lab recovers booster again after launch with BlackSky satellites

March 24, 2023 Stephen Clark

Two BlackSky optical Earth-imaging satellites rode an Electron launcher into orbit Friday from New Zealand, while the Electron’s first stage booster gently parachuted into the Pacific Ocean as engineers consider abandoning airborne rocket recovery in favor of ship-based retrieval and reuse.

Mission Reports

Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches BlackSky satellites from New Zealand

March 24, 2023 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab’s second launch in a little more than a week blasted off from New Zealand at 5:14 a.m. EDT (0914 UTC) Friday with two commercial Earth observation satellites for BlackSky. The Electron rocket’s first stage booster successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean for recovery.

Mission Reports

Two BlackSky satellites lost on Rocket Lab launch failure

May 15, 2021 Stephen Clark

A Rocket Lab Electron launcher malfunctioned about two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff from New Zealand Saturday, destroying two BlackSky optical Earth-imaging satellites in the launch company’s second failed flight in less than a year.

Mission Reports

Live coverage: Rocket Lab’s upper stage runs into trouble soon after launch

May 15, 2021 Stephen Clark

The 20th flight of a Rocket Lab Electron launcher appeared to run into trouble a few minutes after liftoff at 7:11 a.m. EDT (1111 GMT) Saturday from New Zealand, when video showed the rocket’s upper stage tumbling and shutting off its engine prematurely. The rocket was carrying two commercial BlackSky Earth observation satellites into orbit.

Mission Reports

Rocket Lab ready for second booster recovery attempt

May 14, 2021 Stephen Clark

The scheduled launch Saturday of two commercial BlackSky Earth-imaging satellites from New Zealand will double as an opportunity for Rocket Lab to test an enhanced heat shield on its Electron booster, an upgrade that should allow the company to recover rockets in better condition for eventual reuse.

News

Remote sensing companies share satellite views of ship stuck in Suez Canal

March 29, 2021 Stephen Clark

Satellite remote sensing companies showcased their capabilities in recent days with regularly-updated overhead views of a nearly quarter-mile-long container ship blocking the Suez Canal in Egypt before salvage crews freed the vessel Monday.

Mission Reports

Testbed for NASA moon mission rides to orbit with six other satellites

March 23, 2021 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab launched seven satellites Monday from New Zealand on a rideshare mission serving the U.S. and Australian militaries and space services startups. A spacecraft developed in-house by Rocket Lab was also aboard to prove out technologies for a NASA moon mission launching later this year.

Mission Reports

Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches small satellites from New Zealand

March 22, 2021 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab’s second mission of 2021 lifted off at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT) Monday from New Zealand carrying six small satellites for customers in Australia and the United States, along with a test platform for a NASA small satellite mission to the moon launching later this year.

Posts pagination

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News Headlines

  • Starlink mission marks SpaceX’s 450th flight-proven Falcon booster launched
    August 3, 2025
  • NASA, SpaceX ‘thread the clouds’ to launch Crew-11 to the International Space Station
    August 1, 2025
  • Launch preview: SpaceX, NASA launches Crew-11 following 1-day weather scrub
    July 31, 2025
  • SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
    July 29, 2025
  • SpaceX, NASA conduct static fire test of a Falcon 9 rocket ahead of the Crew-11 launch
    July 28, 2025
  • SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites into a polar orbit
    July 26, 2025
  • Crew-11 astronauts, cosmonaut arrive in Florida ahead of launch to the space station
    July 26, 2025
  • SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
    July 25, 2025
  • Amazon says $139.5 million investment in Florida is key to ramping up launch cadence with Project Kuiper
    July 24, 2025
  • NASA probes to study how the solar wind triggers potentially dangerous ‘space weather’
    July 23, 2025
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