
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
Smartwatches: Remain Associated and Dynamic - 2
Trump signs a law returning whole milk to school lunches - 3
Heading to Florida for NASA's Artemis 2 moon launch? Here's what to know before you go - 4
Scientists find evidence that an asteroid contains tryptophan - 5
Nestlé says 413,793 KitKat candy bars stolen en route from Italy to Poland
The most effective method to Execute a Lung-Solid Eating routine After a Cellular breakdown in the lungs Finding
A Manual for the Right SUV for Seniors
Iranian-linked drone attack kills Kurdish couple in northern Iraq
Iran begins cloud seeding to induce rain amid historic drought
Saudi Arabia says it intercepted 7 missiles, debris falls near energy facilities
Picking the Right Home Machines: A Commonsense Aide
Israel and Iran continue tit-for-tat attacks
Posts falsely claim Malaysian minister to relocate public hospital for temple
US measles cases surpass 2,000, highest in 30 years: CDC












