
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
Extremely Rare Snub-Nosed Monkey Was Just Born for the First Time Outside of Asia - 2
FOX8 Meteorologist Charles Ewing makes his 2025-26 winter weather predictions! - 3
With more Moon missions on the horizon, avoiding crowding and collisions will be a growing challenge - 4
Dark matter may be made of pieces of giant, exotic objects — and astronomers think they know how to look for them - 5
Mexico says a third of 130,000 missing people might be alive, fueling criticism from families
Netflix's 'Lord of the Flies' show blends 'Adolescence' and 'Yellowjackets'
Hundreds rally in West Bank against Israeli death penalty for Palestinians
The Best Games On the planet
Physicists and philosophers have long struggled to understand the nature of time: Here's why
Figure out How to Really focus on Your Dental Inserts for Durable Outcomes
Venus shines at its best in spring and summer 2026 — here's what to look for
Agios Pharma shares jump as US FDA expands approval for its blood disorder drug
'Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen' is the Duffer Brothers' first project since 'Stranger Things.' It's also 'wildly insane.'
December’s full moon is the last supermoon of the year. Here’s what to know













