Overview
- Electron is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Island, Virginia, with the window opening Dec. 18 at 05:00 UTC (12:00 a.m. Eastern).
- Rocket Lab advanced the launch from an initial April 2026 target to Dec. 18, presenting the flight as a demonstration of responsive access to space.
- The STP-S30 mission, led by the Space Test Program and Rocket Systems Launch Program under the U.S. Space Force, will carry four DiskSats developed by The Aerospace Corporation.
- DiskSats will be delivered to a roughly 550 km orbit to test maneuverability, a new dispenser mechanism, and electric-propulsion orbit changes.
- The flight is set to be Electron’s 20th launch of 2025 and Rocket Lab’s 78th mission overall, following a recent LC-2 launch and a two-hemisphere, 48-hour launch cadence milestone.