STP-27RD – Spaceflight Now

September 23, 2021

Breaking News

[ September 22, 2021 ] NASA completes swing arm test on SLS launch platform Mission Reports
[ September 22, 2021 ] NASA announces reorganization of human spaceflight directorate News
[ September 21, 2021 ] Landsat 9 lifted atop launcher to extend unbroken environmental data record Atlas 5
[ September 20, 2021 ] Photos: Inspiration4 launches from Kennedy Space Center Falcon 9
[ September 20, 2021 ] Tianzhou ship launches and docks with Chinese space station Mission Reports

Rocket Lab deploys experimental U.S. military smallsats on first night launch

May 5, 2019

On its first nighttime launch, Rocket Lab’s Electron booster climbed into orbit Sunday from New Zealand with a trio of small U.S. military payloads, demonstrating the privately-developed rocket’s ability to help meet the Air Force’s growing demand for smallsat launches.

Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches three U.S. military smallsats

May 4, 2019

Three experimental satellites sponsored by the U.S. military lifted off on an Electron rocket from Rocket Lab’s commercial spaceport in New Zealand on Sunday at 0600 GMT (2 a.m. EDT).