Rocket Lab launches 4 novel DiskSat satellites for U.S. Space Force

Rocket Lab has successfully launched four experimental DiskSat satellites for the U.S. Space Force and NASA aboard an Electron rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia, just after midnight. The mission, known as STP-S30, marked Rocket Lab’s 20th Electron launch and was conducted around five months ahead of schedule under the Orbital Services Program (OSP-4) contract. The DiskSats were developed by The Aerospace Corporation and funded by NASA’s Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems program. During a deployment sequence lasting about ten minutes, all four satellites were placed into a circular low Earth orbit at 550 km. Two satellites will stay in this orbit, while the other two will test operations in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO), helping evaluate performance in harsher atmospheric conditions. Each DiskSat features a flat, one-meter-diameter composite structure and carries secondary experimental payloads, including communications and space-environment sensing technologies. The satellites are now operated by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command, supporting the testing and validation of advanced technologies for future military and national security space systems.