
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
Clovis Unified students spend spring break traveling through China - 2
Ageless Tastefulness: An Outline of Valuable Gemstones and Adornments - 3
Journey Lines for Each Explorer: Track down Your Ideal Journey - 4
South Korea president says Iran war shows the need to ditch ‘extremely risky’ fossil fuels - 5
Find the Standards of Viable Refereeing: Settling Debates with Strategy
Becoming Familiar with an Unknown dialect: My Language Learning Excursion
Bronze Age "City of Seven Ravines" unearthed in central Asia after 3,500 years
These 3 Nail-Free Finds Completely Transformed My Drab Bathroom
Geomagnetic storm grounds launch of Mars space weather satellites
The most effective method to Shield Your Gold Ventures: Procedures and Precautionary measures
Investigate These Retreats Well known With Seniors
Flu concerns grow in US as UK sees more cases among kids
Photos: Presidential turkey pardons — a look back
Charli xcx teases new film ‘The Moment’: What to know about the A24 movie













