BlackSky announces latest Gen-3 satellite in orbit after confidential Electron launch

BREMEN, Germany — Earth observation company BlackSky was the confidential customer for the latest Rocket Lab launch, placing into orbit a satellite that has already returned its first images.

The company announced Nov. 25 that its newest Gen-3 satellite produced its first high-resolution imagery less than 24 hours after its launch this month. The spacecraft is the third Gen-3 satellite in orbit, capable of producing images at a resolution of 35 centimeters and offering advanced features such as infrared imaging and intersatellite links.

“BlackSky’s third Gen-3 unit has delivered incredible initial image quality at unprecedented speed — less than one day from launch,” Brian O’Toole, chief executive of BlackSky, said in a statement.

The release did not disclose who launched the spacecraft or when. However, a BlackSky spokesperson confirmed to SpaceNews that the satellite launched on a Rocket Lab Electron on Nov. 20. That mission, called “Follow My Speed,” carried a single spacecraft for what the launch company described only as a confidential commercial customer.

Speculation that BlackSky was the customer started immediately after the launch and grew when the payload appeared in tracking databases as “Global-33,” the naming convention BlackSky uses for its satellites.

BlackSky did not explain why it chose not to be identified as the launch customer. The company has a contract with Rocket Lab for multiple Electron launches and said during a Nov. 6 earnings call that its next Gen-3 satellite was already at the launch site for a planned launch in the coming weeks.

This was the third time this year Rocket Lab launched an Electron for an unnamed commercial customer. A June launch carried an undisclosed payload later linked to EchoStar. An August mission carried five satellites, designated Calistus A through E in the U.S. Space Force’s Space-Track database and registered to Rwanda, suggesting the customer is E-Space, which has spectrum filings through that nation.

The BlackSky launch, though, stood out because it took place less than five hours after Rocket Lab issued a press release announcing the Follow My Speed mission. Rocket Lab typically announces upcoming commercial launches several days to weeks in advance.

BlackSky plans to have at least 12 Gen-3 satellites in orbit by the end of 2026. The company said the constellation “continues to evolve through a regular interval of launches that expand capacity, reduce latency, add flexibility and increase customer applications for automated real-time and predictive battlefield monitoring.”

“As BlackSky continues to expand our Gen-3 constellation, this successful mission signifies the value of strategic investments in advancing commercial space-based intelligence capabilities,” O’Toole said.