Happily Ever Faster (BlackSky Gen-3 5)

Rocket Lab's Happily Ever Faster mission lifted Electron from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand and successfully deployed a single Earth-observation satellite into a 500-kilometer circular low Earth orbit for a confidential commercial customer. It was Electron's 95th flight and the 16th of 2026, keeping a perfect yearly success record; Rocket Lab neither named the customer nor livestreamed the launch.

Outcome

Success

Orbit

LEO

Low Earth orbit

Payload to orbit

138 kg (est.)

Flight

87th

of 89 Electron flights

Date and time

11 September 2026, 03:28 UTC

Rocket

Electron

Builder

Rocket Lab

Launch site

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Payload

Earth Science

International designator

2026-207

Launches in 2026

217th of 243

See it in orbit

Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.

View satellites in Space Atlas↗