Blue and Gold, the satellites we built for NASA and ucbssl, are now more than a million kilometers from Earth 🛰️🛰️

Follow their journey to Mars on NASA Eyes.

https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-system/#/sc_escapade_blue

RAISE And Shine! Our next Electron launch will be a dedicated mission for JAXA_en from Launch Complex 1 to a 540km LEO.

The launch will deploy JAXA'S RAISE-4 mission that includes a single satellite with 8x tech demonstrations by companies, universities, and research institutions throughout Japan.

"RAISE And Shine" will launch NET December 5th.

ℹ️Mission info:https://rocketlabcorp.com/missions/next-mission/

The cameras are up and running on Blue and Gold! 📸

The visible-light image (left) suggests we should have the sensitivity to image Martian aurora from orbit. The infrared camera (right) will be used at Mars to better understand how materials on the surface heat up and cool down during Mars’ day-night cycle and over the planet’s seasons.

After launch comes spacecraft commissioning 🛰️🛰️

Our operators have spent recent days stabilizing spacecraft attitudes, deploying solar arrays, checking guidance and navigation systems, and powering up all flight computers and antennas on Blue and Gold as they begin their journey to Mars for the ESCAPADE mission.

Take a look at what goes on behind the scenes in mission control.

The spacecraft named Blue completed a smooth 13.8 second engine burn as planned, verifying system performance ahead of the much longer engine burns planned in the next two weeks. These longer burns will redirect the twin spacecraft towards Lagrange Point 2, a gravitational balance point, where they'll wait for the optimal window to continue their journey to Mars.

But before then though, it's Gold's turn, with its first TCM planned for 8 Dec.

Learn more on our ESCAPADE blog: bit.ly/48fci0T

Today, more than 1.59 million kilometers from Earth, a spacecraft we built for NASA and ucbssl's ESCAPADE Mars mission successfully fired its engine for the first time.

The first trajectory correction maneuver on our journey to Mars is complete! ✅

Key stats from the qualification campaign:
✅Opening and closing of Neutron's fairing halves under flight-like conditions in 1.5 seconds, less than half the time required for a successful stage separation and vehicle re-orientation for return to Earth.
✅275,000 pounds of force distributed across its carbon composite structure to simulate the load experienced during Max Q, the stage of flight of Neutron will experience maximum aerodynamic pressure.
✅125% mechanical load testing of the canards that help guide Stage 1's trajectory through launch and re-entry.

We've completed qualification & acceptance testing of the Hungry Hippo fairing for Neutron 🚀 With the design, structure, and operations of Neutron's fixed reusable fairing and upper module now proven out, Hungry Hippo is ready for launch.

Today's successful launch for QPS_Inc has set a new annual launch record for Electron: 21 launches in one year with 100% mission success!

🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀💯

What a year!

✅ A record launch year for Electron and HASTE with 21 launches and 100% mission success.

✅Opened Launch Complex 3.

✅Qualified Neutron's Hungry Hippo Fairing and second stage for flight.

✅ ESCAPADE is on the way to Mars.

✅Welcomed Geost to the Rocket Lab family.

✅Awarded $816M contract by SDA to produce more satellites for the PWSA, our largest contract ever.

✅ + so much more.

We’re ready to make 2026 even bigger.