VICTUS HAZE

16 hours and 42 minutes after receiving the Notice to Launch from the U.S. Space Force's Space Safari Program Office, Rocket Lab lifted off from Mahia on June 19 - setting a new record for responsive space access and besting Victus Nox's 27-hour benchmark by more than 10 hours. The guidance, navigation, and control team finalized new flight trajectories within four hours of the notice; Puma was commissioned and mission-ready just 37 hours after launch, clearing the 72-hour deadline with more than 34 hours to spare.

Puma is a Rocket Lab Pioneer-class spacecraft and one of two satellites in the VICTUS HAZE exercise. In orbit, it is conducting rendezvous and proximity operations with Jackal - a True Anomaly Autonomous Orbital Vehicle launched separately by Firefly Aerospace - simulating a rapid threat-response scenario against a non-compliant satellite. VICTUS HAZE is the U.S. Space Force's 4th Tactically Responsive Space demonstration (TacRS-4) and the first in which a single prime contractor managed spacecraft development, launch, and on-orbit operations end to end.