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Rocket Lab to launch classified payload for the NRO
Rocket Lab is gearing up for its next mission, Live & Let Fly, no earlier than Thursday, March 21st.
The mission will take place from Launch Complex 2 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. This will be Rocket Lab’s fourth launch from its Virginia pad, previously launching HASTE, a suborbital variant of Electron.
? LAUNCH UPDATE ?
The launch date for #NROL123 ‘Live & Let Fly’ for @NatReconOfc has been adjusted one day to the right!
We are now targeting no earlier than March 21st for lift-off from @NASAWallops at @Virginia_Space Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. pic.twitter.com/jTeYuCbVLT
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) March 15, 2024
The customer for this mission is the National Reconnaissance Office, which is utilizing Rocket Lab’s U.S. launch pad for the first time. The mission, named NROL-123, will remain classified, but satellite watchers are usually able to track down the payloads within days of launch to determine the orbits in which these secret payloads are placed.
This will be Rocket Lab’s fourth launch of the year. The company most recently launched the ‘Owl Night Long’ mission for Synspective on March 12th. The company looks to continue its recent successes and mark its fifth flight in a row after a mishap during its ‘We Will Never Desert You’ mission in September 2023.
Overall, Rocket Lab has attempted launching 45 times so far, with 41 successes. After each mishap, the company has come back stronger and is now well into its first-stage recovery program. It has reflown its Rutherford engines multiple times and recovered multiple first stages as it gets closer to reflying an entire Electron for the first time.
45 and counting. pic.twitter.com/BQiwIvMDcs
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) March 14, 2024
During Rocket Lab’s Q3 results, the company revealed that it will attempt recoveries at least nine times out of the 22 missions planned for 2024. Of course, Rocket Lab could still change this and attempt to recover more first stages, as it did last year.
While Rocket Lab is increasing its Electron launch cadence, it is also continuing work on its Neutron rocket, which will be capable of lifting much larger payloads to orbit and is intended to be re-usable beginning with its first flight. Peter Beck, CEO and Founder, said during the Q4 earnings call that they aimed to complete their Stennis test stand by the end of March and test fire their new Archimedes engine soon after.
Beck also mentioned they could launch Neutron by the end of the year if all testing goes smoothly.
Disclosure: Richard Angle is not an RKLB shareholder.
Questions or comments? How do you think Rocket Lab will do in 2024? Shoot me an email at rangle@teslarati.com, or Tweet me @RDAnglePhoto.
News
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia surges to 5.6M articles, almost 79% of English Wikipedia
The explosive growth marks a major milestone for the AI-powered online encyclopedia, which was launched by Elon Musk’s xAI just months ago.
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia has grown to an impressive 5,615,201 articles as of today, closing in on 79% of the English Wikipedia’s current total of 7,119,376 articles.
The explosive growth marks a major milestone for the AI-powered online encyclopedia, which was launched by Elon Musk’s xAI just months ago. Needless to say, it would only be a matter of time before Grokipedia exceeds English Wikipedia in sheer volume.
Grokipedia’s rapid growth
xAI’s vision for Grokipedia emphasizes neutrality, while Grok’s reasoning capabilities allow for fast drafting and fact-checking. When Elon Musk announced the initiative in late September 2025, he noted that Grokipedia would be an improvement to Wikipedia because it would be designed to avoid bias.
At the time, Musk noted that Grokipedia “is a necessary step towards the xAI goal of understanding the Universe.”
Grokipedia was launched in late October, and while xAI was careful to list it only as Version 0.1 at the time, the online encyclopedia immediately earned praise. Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger highlighted the project’s innovative approach, noting how it leverages AI to fill knowledge gaps and enable rapid updates. Netizens also observed how Grokipedia tends to present articles in a more objective manner compared to Wikipedia, which is edited by humans.
Elon Musk’s ambitious plans
With 5,615,201 total articles, Grokipedia has now grown to almost 79% of English Wikipedia’s article base. This is incredibly quick, though Grokipedia remains text-only for now. xAI, for its part, has now updated the online encyclopedia’s iteration to v0.2.
Elon Musk has shared bold ideas for Grokipedia, including sending a record of the entire knowledge base to space as part of xAI’s mission to preserve and expand human understanding. At some point, Musk stated that Grokipedia will be renamed to Encyclopedia Galactica, and it will be sent to the cosmos.
“When Grokipedia is good enough (long way to go), we will change the name to Encyclopedia Galactica. It will be an open source distillation of all knowledge, including audio, images and video. Join xAI to help build the sci-fi version of the Library of Alexandria!” Musk wrote, adding in a later post that “Copies will be etched in stone and sent to the Moon, Mars and beyond. This time, it will not be lost.”
News
Tesla Model 3 becomes Netherlands’ best-selling used EV in 2025
More than one in ten second-hand electric cars sold in the country last year was a Tesla Model 3.
The Tesla Model 3 became the most popular used electric car in the Netherlands in 2025, cementing its dominance well beyond the country’s new-car market.
After years at the top of Dutch EV sales charts, the Model 3 now leads the country’s second-hand EV market by a wide margin, as record used-car purchases pushed electric vehicles further into the mainstream.
Model 3 takes a commanding lead
The Netherlands recorded more than 2.1 million used car sales last year, the highest level on record. Of those, roughly 4.8%, or about 102,000 vehicles, were electric. Within that growing segment, the Tesla Model 3 stood far ahead of its competitors.
In 2025 alone, 11,338 used Model 3s changed hands, giving the car an 11.1% share of the country’s entire used EV market. That means more than one in ten second-hand electric cars sold in the country last year was a Tesla Model 3, Auto Week Netherlands reported. The scale of its lead is striking: the gap between the Model 3 and the second-place finisher, the Volkswagen ID3, is more than 6,700 vehicles.
Rivals trail as residual values shape rankings
The Volkswagen ID.3 ranked a distant second, with 4,595 used units sold and a 4.5% market share. Close behind was the Audi e-tron, which placed third with 4,236 registrations. As noted by Auto Week Netherlands, relatively low residual values likely boosted the e-tron’s appeal in the used market, despite its higher original price.
Other strong performers included the Kia Niro, the Tesla Model Y, and the Hyundai Kona, highlighting continued demand for compact and midsize electric vehicles with proven range and reliability. No other model, however, came close to matching the Model 3’s scale or market presence.
News
Tesla Model Y Standard Long Range RWD launches in Europe
The update was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on its official social media account on X.
Tesla has expanded the Model Y lineup in Europe with the introduction of the Standard Long Range RWD variant, which offers an impressive 657 km of WLTP range.
The update was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on its official social media account on X.
Model Y Standard Long Range RWD Details
Tesla Europe & Middle East highlighted some of the Model Y Standard Long Range RWD’s most notable specs, from its 657 km of WLTP range to its 2,118 liters of cargo volume. More importantly, Tesla also noted that the newly released variant only consumes 12.7 kWh per 100 km, making it the most efficient Model Y to date.
The Model Y Standard provides a lower entry point for consumers who wish to enter the Tesla ecosystem at the lowest possible price. While the Model 3 Standard is still more affordable, some consumers might prefer the Model Y Standard due to its larger size and crossover form factor. The fact that the Model Y Standard is equipped with Tesla’s AI4 computer also makes it ready for FSD’s eventual rollout to the region.
Top Gear’s Model Y Standard review
Top Gear‘s recent review of the Tesla Model Y Standard highlighted some of the vehicle’s most notable features, such as its impressive real-world range, stellar infotainment system, and spacious interior. As per the publication, the Model Y Standard still retains a lot of what makes Tesla’s vehicles well-rounded, even if it’s been equipped with a simplified interior.
Top Gear compared the Model Y Standard to its rivals in the same segment. “The introduction of the Standard trim brings the Model Y in line with the entry price of most of its closest competition. In fact, it’s actually cheaper than a Peugeot e-3008 and costs £5k less than an entry-level Audi Q4 e-tron. It also makes the Ford Mustang Mach-E look a little short with its higher entry price and worse range,” the publication wrote.