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A Rocket Lab Electron rocket lifts off from Mahia, New Zealand, to begin the \u2018Follow My Speed\u2019 mission on Nov. 20, 2025. Image: Rocket Lab<\/p>\nA Rocket Lab Electron rocket lifts off from Mahia, New Zealand, to begin the \u2018Follow My Speed\u2019 mission on Nov. 20, 2025. Image: Rocket Lab<\/p>\n
Earth observation company BlackSky revealed it was the \u2018confidential customer\u2019 whose satellite flew on a recent Rocket Lab Electron rocket. A BlackSky spokesperson confirmed to Spaceflight Now on Tuesday that its Gen-3 satellite was the payload onboard.<\/p>\n
The mission, dubbed \u2018Follow My Speed\u2019 by Rocket Lab, lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 1:43 a.m. NZT on Nov. 21 (7:43 a.m. EST \/ 1243 UTC on Nov. 20). This was Rocket Lab\u2019s 18th launch so far in 2025 and its 76th Electron launch to date.<\/p>\n
Leading up to the mission\u2019s launch and during the broadcast, the company referred to the payload owner simply as a \u201cconfidential commercial customer.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the satellite was deployed, the U.S. Space Force cataloged it into a 468 x 477 km orbit at a 42 degree inclination. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and expert orbital tracker, noted on X (formerly Twitter) that this orbital position \u201chas previously been used by Electron from BlackSky, QPS and Strix launches.\u201d<\/p>\n
BlackSky added clarity to the mystery on Tuesday when it published a press release announcing that it was able to get its \u201cfirst very high-resolution images from the company\u2019s third Gen-3 satellite less than 24 hours following the satellite\u2019s successful launch in November.\u201d The release itself didn\u2019t specifically mention Rocket Lab or its Electron rocket by name.<\/p>\n
In its release, company shared an image of the Port of Jebel Ali in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, captured during the morning of Nov. 22.<\/p>\n
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BlackSky delivered the first very high-resolution images from the company\u2019s third Gen-3 satellite less than 24 hours following the satellite\u2019s successful launch. This Gen-3, unit three, very high-resolution image captured over the Port of Jebel Ali in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, displays active offloading operations at the roll-on\/roll-off \u201cRoRo\u201d terminal as stevedores maneuver vehicles down a ramp and into the collection area where thousands of vehicles await transport to their final destination. The BlackSky image was collected at 10:08 a.m. on November 22, 2025. Image: BlackSky<\/p>\n
\u201cBlackSky\u2019s third Gen-3 unit has delivered incredible initial image quality at unprecedented speed \u2014 less than one day from launch,\u201d said Brian O\u2019Toole, BlackSky CEO. \u201cCustomers no longer have to wait months typically associated with traditional commissioning timelines. BlackSky\u2019s rapid commissioning process places tasking capacity into customers\u2019 hands quickly and increases the overall operational life of each satellite as they come online sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n
BlackSky didn\u2019t state why it wanted the launch to occur without identifying itself ahead of deployment. The first two Gen-3 satellites were launched on other Electron rockets during the \u2018Fasten Your Space Belts\u2019 and the \u2018Full Stream Ahead\u2019 missions on Feb. 18 and June 2 respectively.<\/p>\n