Rocket Lab successfully launched its Electron KS rocket at 1709 GMT on 7 October from Onenui Station, Māhia Peninsula New Zealand.
The rocket carried the GAzelle satellite, previously known as OTB 3. GAzelle, developed by General Atomics, carried an Argos fourth-generation instrument and a Radmon payload. The Argos-4 instrument, supplied by the French space agency CNES, will be used to collect wildlife tracking data.
The launch, dubbed “It Argos Up From Here”, marked the 31st Electron mission for Rocket Lab and its eighth launch in 2022 so far. The company highlighted its continuous string of successful launches – one a month since April – as it confirmed further missions before the end of the year.