Spaceflight Daily Report, Friday 23rd October 2026

Artemis IV Blue Moon CONOPS. Image credit: NASA.

Launch of "We're Not Hawking Around"

Rocket Lab launched an Electron from Māhia in New Zealand at 0711 UTC, or 2011 local time (NZDT). This mission, named "We're Not Hawking Around", was carrying HawkEye 360 Cluster 16, a batch of three Sun-synchronous radio surveillance satellites for the American company HawkEye 360. This was the 98th flight of Electron. [Source: Rocket Lab]

Launch of Yaogan-50-03

SAST, a subsidiary of China Aerospace (CASC), launched a Long March 6A (Chang Zheng 6A) from Taiyuan in Shanxi at 1015 UTC, or 1815 local time (CST). This was carrying Yaogan-50-03, a military reconnaissance satellite of unclear purpose. Like the previous Yaogan-50 satellites, it launched into a retrograde low-Earth orbit, orbiting in the opposite direction to most satellites. This was the 28th flight of the Long March 6A, and the 45th flight of the Long March 6 family. [Source: SAST]

Launch of 6x Yaogan

SAST launched a Long March 4B (Chang Zheng 4B) from Jiuquan in Gansu at 1925 UTC, or 0325 Saturday morning local time (CST). This was carrying six more Yaogan satellites; Yaogan-53-07, 08, and 09, and Yaogan-56-19, 20, and 21. These are all low-Earth orbit military reconnaissance satellites of unclear purpose. This was the 59th flight of the Long March 4B, and the 120th flight of the Long March 4 family. [Source: SAST]

Launch of Starlink Group 15-15

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 2248 UTC, or 1548 local time (PDT). The mission was delayed three times due to bad weather. It was carrying Starlink Group 15-15, the latest batch of 27 Starlink v2-mini satellites for the constellation. It was the 699th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 36th flight of booster B1063, which successfully landed aboard the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

International Space Station Activities

Pyotr Dubrov (MS-29, Roscosmos), Anna Kikina (MS-29, Roscosmos), and Sergey Teteryatnikov (Crew-13, Roscosmos) studied plasma crystals, serviced radiation detection equipment, carried out AI research, and took blood pressure readings. Jessica Watkins (Crew-13, NASA) tested water quality detectors and a gas flow controller. Luke Delaney (Crew-13, NASA) and Anil Menon (MS-29, NASA) continued their blood vessel bio-printing research. Joshua Kutryk (Crew-13, CSA) swapped research samples in a furnace. The four Western astronauts also held a conference with engineers on the ground regarding their two upcoming spacewalks. [Source: NASA]

Artemis Updates

NASA held a press conference announcing several updates and details regarding the Artemis programme. Artemis III will see the crew of an Orion spacecraft test rendezvous operations in low-Earth orbit with the two candidate Human Landing System (HLS) Moon landers being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. NASA revealed the following concept of operations:

• Before Day 0: Blue Moon launches on New Glenn and loiters in orbit.
• Day 0: Orion launches on SLS.
• Day 3: Orion docks with Blue Moon.
• Day 6: Orion undocks from Blue Moon.
• Day 6: Starship launches.
• Day 8: Orion docks with Starship. Undocks after around two hours.
• Day 14: Orion returns to Earth.

Additionally, NASA shared concepts of operations for the Starship propellant transfer demo planned for early 2027, and two potential versions of Artemis IV in 2028; one with SpaceX's Starship HLS, and one with Blue Origin's Blue Moon HLS. In the SpaceX plan, Starship will get to the Moon by refuelling at an orbital depot, to be fuelled by other Starships, and will itself act as the transfer stage for Orion following a rendezvous in Earth orbit. In the Blue Origin plan, Blue Moon will get to the Moon by attaching to a multi-stage transfer stack, and Orion will make its own way to the Moon and rendezvous with it in Lunar orbit. In both plans, two astronauts will descend to the Lunar surface on the HLS while two others will remain aboard Orion in Lunar orbit. [Source: NASA]

Starshield Speed Limit Apparently Not Lifted

Last week, soldiers in Ukraine began reporting that SpaceX's military Starshield service, used to control drones and bolster front line communications, was cutting out when the terminal exceeded 100 mph. US president Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk both denied responsibility for the restriction, though it came amid a public disagreement between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy over Russian oil exports. Despite Trump's subsequent claim that restrictions have been lifted, Ukrainian drone operators are still reporting speed limits. LEO satellite internet services have become vital infrastructure in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with SpaceX cutting Russian access to Starlink back in February and both Europe and Russia scrambling to establish their own independent constellations. [Source: BBC]

SpaceX Declines US Government Contracts

SpaceX have reportedly declined three missions for the US Space Force as they phase out the Falcon 9 in favour of Starship, which will focus on the company's in-house projects rather than external contracts. American institutions have allowed SpaceX's dominance of the launch market to become a monopoly, with their competitors nowhere near ready to pick up the slack. Falcon 9 is currently the only rocket keeping US launch capacity ahead of that of China. [Source: Politico]

Other notes

• ESA's Hera probe has performed a braking manoeuvre ahead of its arrival at asteroid 65803 Didymos. Orbital insertion is scheduled for November. [Source: ESA]
• ArianeGroup's Themis hop test vehicle may not fly until 2027, further delaying ESA's already slow development of a reusable successor to the Ariane 6. [Source: European Spaceflight]
• ICEYE and Nokia have signed a letter of intent with Ukraine to bolster the country's sovereign satellite communications amid the Russian invasion. [Source: ICEYE]
• Firefly Aerospace have completed the preliminary design review for their Elytra spacecraft that will deliver NASA's MoonFall mission to the Lunar south pole no earlier than late 2028. [Source: Firefly Aerospace]
• The launches of Starlink Group 15-16 and Group 15-18 aboard Falcon 9 rockets have both been pushed back a day, to the 27th and 30th of October respectively. [Source: SpaceX]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Friday 16th October 2026

The spacecraft docked to the ISS. Image credit: NASA.

Launch of USSF-481

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 0001 UTC, or 1701 Thursday evening local time (PDT). This was carrying USSF-481, a classified mission for the United States Space Force, likely to be a batch of 17 Starshield-based electronic surveillance satellites. This was the 697th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 28th flight of booster B1081, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

International Space Station Activities

Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina (both MS-29, Roscosmos) finished their weeklong study with the Teledroid controller. Anil Menon (MS-29, NASA), Jessica Watkins (Crew-13, NASA), Luke Delaney (Crew-13, NASA), and Joshua Kutryk (Crew-13, CSA) spent today unpacking the Cargo Dragon (CRS-35) which arrived yesterday, starting with the time-sensitive frozen samples. Sergey Teteryatnikov (Crew-13, Roscosmos) underwent a VR balance and orientation test, inspected some hydraulics, and serviced an oxygen generator. [Source: NASA]

Other notes

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have completed a series of separation tests for the Gaganyaan crew module ahead of its planned uncrewed test flight later this year. [Source: ISRO]
• Blue Origin have provided an update on their plans to increase New Glenn's launch cadence, stating that the upper stage production facility in Florida will be completed in summer 2027 and the company is acquiring two new droneship landing barges. [Source: Blue Origin]
• UPDATE: ION SCV Absolute Andreas, launched on Transporter-18, deployed Planet Labs' Flock 4J-5, -6, and -8 Earth observation satellites today. Additionally, ION SCV Alluring Alexander deployed Indian company TakeMe2Space's MOI-1A, and German company Ethereal's OSIRIS-E. [Source: Jonathan McDowell's GCAT]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Saturday 10th October 2026

Falcon launch. Image credit: SpaceX.

Launch of Tranche 1 Transport Layer A

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 0739 UTC, or 0039 local time (PDT), delayed multiple times from its initial launch window on Monday. It was carrying Tranche 1 Transport Layer A, the 4th batch of 21 military communication satellites for the United States Space Force's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer constellation, manufactured by Northrop Grumman. This was the 694th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 6th flight of booster B1103, which performed a boostback burn and successfully landed at Vandenberg's Landing Zone 4. [Source: SpaceX]

Other notes

• UPDATE: ION SCV Absolute Andreas, launched on Transporter-18, deployed Planet Labs' Flock 4J-1 Earth observation satellite today. [Source: Jonathan McDowell's GCAT]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Saturday 26th September 2026

An Electron launches from Māhia. Image credit: Rocket Lab.

Launch of "Owlright, Owlright, Owlright"

Rocket Lab launched an Electron from Māhia in New Zealand at 0039 UTC, or 1239 local time (NZST). The mission was named "Owlright, Owlright, Owlright". It was carrying StriX-12 for the constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites operated by the Japanese private company Synspective. This was the 13th StriX satellite launched by Rocket Lab, and Synspective have bought a further 14 launches. This was the 97th flight of the Electron. [Source: Rocket Lab]

Launch of USSF-385

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 1400 UTC, or 0700 local time (PDT). This was carrying USSF-385, a classified mission carrying an unknown number of small satellites for the United States Space Force. More information about the number of satellites should become available in the coming days. This was the 691st flight of the Falcon 9, and the 10th flight of booster B1100, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

UPDATE: There were 23 payloads aboard this launch. [Source: Space-Track.org]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Thursday 17th September 2026

Image credit: Roscosmos

Launch of Guowang Group 25

CASC/SAST launched a Long March 12 (Chang Zheng 12) from Wenchang in Hainan at 0032 UTC, or 0832 local time (CST). This was carrying SatNet LEO (Guowang) Group 25, a batch of nine satellites for the China Satellite Network Group's internet constellation. This was the 8th flight of the Long March 12, and the 10th flight of the Long March 12 family. [Source: SAST]

Launch of USSF-259

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 0107 UTC, or 1807 Wednesday evening local time (PDT), delayed from yesterday. This was carrying USSF-259, a classified mission carrying an unknown number of small satellites for the United States Space Force. More information about the number of satellites should become available in the coming days. This was the 689th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 13th flight of booster B1097, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

UPDATE: The number of skipped IDs in the US Space Force's publicly available satellite catelogue indicates there were at most 17 payloads aboard this flight. [Source: Space-Track.org]

Launch of SpaceTY-51 and 52

ExPace, a subsidiary of CASIC, launched a Kuaizhou-11 from Jiuquan in Gansu at 0240 UTC, or 1040 local time (CST). This was carrying Tianyi-51 and 52, a pair of synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellites for the company SpaceTY. This was the 7th flight of the Kuaizhou-11. [Source: ExPace]

Unknown Launch from Plesetsk

Roscosmos launched a rocket from Plesetsk in Arkangelsk at approximately 1650 UTC, or 1950 local time (MSK), according to residents in the Volga district who were able to photograph its exhaust trail. It is likely to be a Soyuz rocket carrying a GLONASS navigation satellite, but there is no official confirmation yet. More details about this launch should become available in the coming days. [Source: afec7032]

UPDATE: Roscosmos have confirmed a Soyuz 2.1b was launched from Plesetsk but haven't provided a launch time or any information about the payload. The US Space Force is tracking a single payload. This was the 210th flight of the Soyuz-2 family of rockets, and the 88th flight of the 2.1b variant. [Source: Roscosmos]

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the International Space Station carried out routine research and maintenance while the Progress cargo resupply spacecraft continues its three day journey to the station. Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway cleaned and inspected spacesuit cooling systems. Andrey Fedyaev serviced laptop computers. Sophie Adenot performed stress, sleep, and exercise research, and assisted Hathaway in preparing the cupola's windows for cleaning. Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina tested the backup remote control system for the incoming Progress spacecraft, performed blood pressure research, and practised operating a simulation of the Teledroid robot that will be delivered to the station soon. Anil Menon continued soldering research aiming to increase the number of electrical repairs that can be conducted in space. [Source: NASA]

VSS Unity Glide Flight

Virgin Galactic carried out a low-altitude glide flight of VSS Unity yesterday to provide their pilots with practice ahead of the debut flight of the company's new suborbital spaceship, which is meant to be beginning its glide test campaign soon ahead of the start of commercial spaceflights in 2027. In their last investor report the company claimed that test flights of the new spaceship would begin in October 2026. [Source: Virgin Galactic]

NASA to Order More Starliners

According to Ars Technica, NASA will soon announce it has ordered two more crewed spaceflights on Boeing Starliner, as well as supporting its certification to be launched on a new rocket once the Atlas V is retired. It has become clear in recent months that SpaceX intends to stop operating its Crew Dragon spacecraft in the early 2030s to focus on Starship development. Boeing Starliner, despite its issues, represents the best chance for the United States to retain a vehicle suitable for low Earth orbit crewed missions into the 2030s. [Source: Ars Technica]

Further Delay to Starship Flight 14

The launch of Starship Flight 14, the first orbital launch attempt of SpaceX's fully reusable rocket, has been delayed by a further six days and is now aiming to launch on Monday 28th September. [Source: SpaceX]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Tuesday 15th September 2026

Image credit: NASA

Launch of FLEX and Sentinel-C

Avio launched a Vega C from Kourou in French Guiana at 0121 UTC, or 2221 Monday evening local time (GFT). This carried two satellites to orbit for the European Space Agency. The first was Sentinel-3C, an oceanography satellite that is the third of four planned Sentinel satellites launched as part of the European Union's Copernicus programme for climate monitoring. The second was FLEX, short for Fluorescence Explorer, which carries a spectrometer for mapping plant fluorescence to monitor photosynthesis and global plant health, and is the eighth mission launched for ESA's Earth Explorer series of satellites, part of the agency's FutureEO programme. This was the 30th flight of Vega C. [Source: ESA]

Launch of Qianfan Polar Group 19

LandSpace launched a Zhuque-2E Block 2 from Jiuquan in Gansu at 0626 UTC, or 1426 local time (CST). This carried Qianfan Polar Group 19, a batch of 10 satellites for the Qianfan (SpaceSail) internet constellation operated by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology. Group 19 is actually the 15th batch of these satellites to be launched. This was the first time a private company have delivered satellites for the constellation, which have previously all been delivered by state-operated Long March rockets. This was the 9th flight of Zhuque-2, and the 3rd flight of the 2E Block 2 variant. [Source: LandSpace]

Launch of Qianfan Polar Group 26

Orienspace were scheduled to launch a Gravity-1 from the launch ship Dongfang Hangtian Gang in the East China Sea off the coast of Shanghai at 2155 UTC, or 0555 Wednesday morning local time (CST). Confirmation of the launch and details about its payload were not available at the time of writing. An update will be provided tomorrow. This was the 4th flight of Gravity-1, marking another increase in launch cadence for the vehicle.

UPDATE: The reported launch time is 2200 UTC, or 0600 Wednesday morning local time (CST). The rocket was carrying nine satellites for Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology; eight comprising Polar Group 26 of the Qianfan (SpaceSail) internet constellation, and one technology test satellite. This is today's second Qianfan launch, and the 16th overall, meaning the constellation's first two launches with private launch providers occurred on two different rockets on the same day. [Source: CCTV]

United States Discloses Possession of Space Weapons

The United States has admitted for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space. The nature of these weapons is not known, nor how long they have been in orbit, though they are probably anti-satellite weapons equipped with electronic interference devices. The Space Force would likely prefer for any inter-satellite conflict to avoid creating the cloud of debris that would be caused by a more physical weapon. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink explained he was making the disclosure as a "deterrent". The United States claims to believe that Russia and China both also have weapons in space. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans weapons of mass destruction from being placed in orbit, but conventional and electronic orbital weapons are allowed under international law. China has denounced the disclosure and called for the avoidance of an arms race in space. [Source: BBC]

Roman First Light

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has taken its first test image of the stars. The Wide Field Instrument has not yet been properly deployed, so the stars are intentionally out-of-focus. The mission will arrive at the Sun-Earth L2 point in December and is aiming to release its first science images in early 2027. [Source: NASA]

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the International Space Station performed routine research and maintenance. Jessica Meir and Sophie Adenot worked on bioprinting research. Meir also performed stress and sleep research, while Adenot inspected the hatch seals in the US segment of the station. Andrey Fedyaev took blood pressure readings and performed maintenance on the ventilation system. Jack Hathaway installed a new oxygen tank in the atmospheric control system and checked spacesuit batteries and carbon dioxide scrubbers. Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina tested material science equipment and inspected the hatch seals in the Russian segment. Anil Menon continued studying lead-free soldering techniques, cleaned a water filter, and tested one of the spacesuits' emergency jet packs. [Source: NASA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Thursday 10th September 2026

Image credit: The Exploration Company

Launch of 6x Yaogan

CASC/SAST launched a Long March 4B (Chang Zheng 4B) from Jiuquan in Gansu at 0900 UTC, or 1700 local time (CST). This was carrying six Chinese military satellites of unknown purpose, designated Yaogan 53-01 to 03 and Yaogan 56-01 to 03. This was the 119th launch of the Long March 4 family of rockets, and the 58th launch of the 4B configuration. [Source: SAST]

Launch of USSF-153

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg in California at 1542 UTC, or 0842 local time (PDT). This was carrying USSF-153, a classified mission for the US Space Force. Further information about the number of payloads launched on this rocket should be available in the coming days. It was the 687th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 27th flight of booster B1081, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

UPDATE: There were 23 payloads on this launch, designated USA 644 to USA 666. [Source: Jonathan McDowell]

International Space Station Activities

The crew of the International Space Station carried out routine research and maintenance. Sophie Adenot and Pyotr Dubrov both filmed documentary footage today, including a series of tours of the station which we can expect to see soon. [Source: NASA]

International Space Summit

The International Space Summit in Paris, which began yesterday, concluded today. The following is a summary of the major announcements made over both days of the event:

• ESA announced they have awarded a €760 million contract to The Exploration Company (TEC) to develop and fly their Nyx cargo spacecraft, in order to provide Europe with independent access to a cargo vehicle. This is part of what was previously called the LCRS project (LEO Cargo Return Service), which has been renamed to the rather contrived acronym ALADDIN (Autonomous LEO Accelerated Demo Docking to ISS Node). The vehicle will launch on an Ariane 6 rocket. [Source: ESA]
• Vast Space (United States) announced that the third crew member of Private Astronaut Mission 6 to the International Space Station will be ESA astronaut Adrianos Golemis. He will become the first Greek citizen in space when it launches in 2027. Also on the mission are Thomas Pesquez of France, Aleš Svoboda of Czechia, and an unannounced fourth crew member. [Source: Vast Space]
• Arianespace (France) announced several new Ariane 6 contracts, including two launches for Eutelsat's OneWeb, six launches for Amazon Leo (United States), one launch for a South Korean geostationary communication satellite, and the aforementioned maiden flight of the Nyx cargo spacecraft. They also signed memoranda of understanding with EnduroSat (Bulgaria) and ICEYE (Finland), indicating future launches for those organisations. Arianespace subsidiary MaiaSpace announced a launch contract for iQPS (Japan). [Source: Élysée Palace]
• Eutelsat (France) announced they have awarded Airbus a contract to develop the first layer of at least 66 satellites for the European Union's IRIS² satellite internet constellation. [Source: Airbus]

A variety of other announcements were made at the summit. A summary of the various contracts and MoUs is available on the website of the French presidency.

PLD Space Announce Miura 9 Rocket

Spanish company PLD Space, who are developing the yet-to-fly Miura 5 small-lift reusable rocket, have announced that the larger future version of the rocket will be named Miura 9 (previously designated Miura 5 Block 1.2). It will have around three times the payload capacity of the Miura 5, making it a medium-lift vehicle. PLD Space is using the funding from ESA's European Launcher Challenge programme to help develop the larger rocket. [Source: PLD Space]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Sunday 16th August 2026

Image credit: CMSA

Launch of Globalstar 2-R Mission 1

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 0112 UTC, or 2112 Saturday evening local time (EDT). This was carrying Globalstar 2-R Mission 1, a batch of eight satellites to replenish Globalstar's satellite telephone and data transfer constellation. This was the 678th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 14th flight of booster B1090, which performed a boostback burn and successfully landed at Cape Canaveral's Landing Zone 40. [Source: SpaceX]

Launch of USSF-366

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California at 0150 UTC, or 1850 Saturday evening local time (PDT). At just 38 minutes, this is the new record for the shortest gap between two Falcon launches, albeit from different launch sites. This was carrying USSF-366, a classified mission consisting of 23 communications satellites for the United States Space Force. This was the 679th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 18th flight of booster B1088, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

Launch of Guowang Group 24

SAST, a subsidiary of CASC, launched a Long March 12 (Chang Zheng 12) from Wenchang in Hainan at 0410 UTC, or 1210 local time (CST). This was carrying SatNet LEO (Guowang) Group 24, a batch of 9 satellites for the China Satellite Network Group's internet constellation. This was the 7th flight of the Long March 12, and the 9th flight of the Long March 12 family. Notably, the Long March 12 uses the same YF-100 engines as the recently failed Long March 7A, meaning the engines are still clear to fly and likely weren't the cause of the failure. [Source: SAST]

Tiangong Activities

CMSA published their weekly video on the activities of the crew of the Tiangong space station. Zhu Yangzhu, Lai Ka-Ying, and Zhang Zhiyuan performed research into electroencephalography, motion intuition, and emergency decision-making, and took blood samples. They maintained fluid physics experiments, practised simulated manual docking procedures, conducted medical training, and completed an emergency drill simulating a depressurisation event. [Source: CMSA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Thursday 16th July 2026

Image credit: SpaceX

Launch of Tranche 1 Transport Layer E

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg in California at 2032 UTC, or 1332 local time (PDT). This was carrying Tranche 1 Transport Layer E, a batch of 21 military communication satellites for the US Space Force Space Development Agency's "Transport Layer" constellation. This was the third of nine missions that SpaceX is launching for the "Tranche 1" phase of the constellation. It was the 667th flight of the Falcon 9, and the 4th flight of booster B1103, which successfully landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. [Source: SpaceX]

Scrub of Starship Flight 13

The launch of Starship Flight 13 was scheduled for today, but the mission was scrubbed after some of the engines failed during startup and triggered an abort. Starship has consistently had problems getting all its engines to fire reliably, but this is the first time this recurring problem has caused an abort on the pad. SpaceX have not yet set a new launch date. [Source: SpaceX]

International Space Station Activities

The expanded crew of the International Space Station carried out routine research and maintenance. [Source: NASA]

Spaceflight Daily Report, Saturday 20th June 2026

Image credit: Rocket Lab

Launch of Victus Haze Puma

This mission launched yesterday (Friday 19th), but was not made public until today. Rocket Lab launched an Electron from Māhia in New Zealand at 1020 UTC on Friday, or 2220 local time (NZST). This was carrying Victus Haze Puma, a mission for the US Space Force acting as a test to see if Rocket Lab could prepare and launch a payload into orbit within 24 hours of an "orbital threat" being detected. The spacecraft will now perform a series of rendezvous manoeuvres with True Anomaly's Jackal-0004 to simulate an "uncooperative rendezvous" situation. This was the 90th flight of Electron. [Source: Rocket Lab]