A U.S. space startup has become the first ever private company to successfully send satellites into orbit without the help of a government agency. The launch has paved the way for a “new era” of commercial access to space.
Rocket Lab is headquartered in Los Angeles. It deployed three satellites on only the second test launch of its Electron orbital launch vehicle, Still Testing.
As more private companies enter the space industry, the cost of rocket launches and sending satellites into orbit will be drastically reduced. Other private space firms include Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin, headed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
