U.S. launch company Rocket Lab launched a U.S. spy satellite from New Zealand on Thursday.

"Successful Electron lift-off!" RocketLab tweeted on Friday afternoon in New Zealand.

The company had experienced a few delays for the launch due to ground-level winds, but otherwise, the mission reportedly went off without any problems.

It was Rocket Lab's first launch of 2020, from the firm's Launch Complex 1 is in New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula. Rocket Lab opened a second launch complex in Virginia last year.

The so-called Birds of a Feather mission was part of the National Reconnaissance Office's Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket program, which is aimed at providing a streamlined, commercial approach for getting small satellites into space.

The Electron rocket for the launch completed another test for Rocket Lab's plans to develop reusability, but the company didn't try to recover it. Data from the rocket was to be gathered for the development of reusable boosters.

"For this mission, a camera on stage one will attempt to document the re-entry view," the company had said in a news release.

Source: United Press International

Related Links
Rocket Lab
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Gremlins program completes first flight test for X-61A vehicle
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 20, 2020
DARPA's Gremlins program has completed the first flight test of its X-61A vehicle. The test in late November at the U.S. Army's Dugway Proving Ground in Utah included one captive-carry mission aboard a C-130A and an airborne launch and free flight lasting just over an hour-and-a-half. The goal for this third phase of the Gremlins program is completion of a full-scale technology demonstration series featuring the air recovery of multiple, low-cost, reusable unmanned aerial systems (UASs), or "Greml ... read more