
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
Vote in favor of the handheld vacuum that you love for its strong attractions! - 2
Don’t let food poisoning crash your Thanksgiving dinner - 3
Activists: Venezuela released just nine prisoners despite promise - 4
IDF begins destroying homes used by Hezbollah as forces move deeper into southern Lebanon - 5
Vote in favor of your Number one method for praising a birthday
Rediscovering Imagination in Adulthood: Individual Creative Excursions
The Best Games On the planet
Lula’s former human rights minister formally accused of sexual misconduct
A coup too far: Why Benin's rebel soldiers failed where others in the region succeeded
The powerful new Rubin Observatory just found 11,000 new asteroids and measured 'tens of thousands more'
What causes RFK Jr.’s strained and shaky voice? A neurologist explains this little-known disorder
Israel intensifies Lebanon attacks and hits areas not in Hezbollah's control
Idris Elba is the king of the stress-watch
What to know about the hepatitis B shot — and why Trump officials are targeting it













