[[Home|🏠]] <span style="color: LightSlateGray">></span> <span class="no-hover">[[Launches]]</span> <span style="color: LightSlateGray">></span> 021 - It's A Little Chile Up Here
>[!success] Mission Success
>[!summary]
Rocket Lab launched a dedicated mission for the United States Space Force (USSF) and deployed a single research and development satellite to low Earth orbit.
>
Rocket Lab carried the Monolith satellite for the USSF's Space Test Program (STP) to space to explore and demonstrate the use of a deployable sensor, where the sensor’s mass is a substantial fraction of the total mass of the spacecraft, changing the spacecraft’s dynamic properties and testing ability to maintain spacecraft attitude control. Analysis from the use of a deployable sensor aims to enable the use of smaller satellite buses when building future deployable sensors such as weather satellites, thereby reducing the cost, complexity, and development timelines.
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The mission was named ‘It’s a Little Chile Up Here’ in a nod to the beloved green chile of New Mexico where the Space Test Program is based. ‘It’s a Little Chile Up Here’ was Rocket Lab’s fourth launch for the year and the company’s 21st Electron launch overall.
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[📸 Mission Photo Album](https://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketlab/albums/72177720301764530/)
#electron #launch #success
| **Mission Name** | It's A Little Chile Up Here |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Launch Date** | 2021-07-29 06:00 |
| **Outcome** | ✅ Success |
| **Customer** | [[U.S. Space Force]] |
| **Location** | [[Launch Complex 1#Launch Pad A]] |
| **Vehicle** | [[Electron]] |
| **Orbit Type** | [[🌍 Orbits#LEO]] |
| **Target Orbit** | 600 km | 37° |
| **Payload Mass** | Unknown |
| **Recovery** | No Attempt |
| **Mission Link** | [It's A Little Chile Up Here](https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/missions-launched/its-a-little-chile-up-here/) |
| **Press Kit** | [Press Kit PDF](https://rocketlabcorp.com/assets/Uploads/Rocket-Lab-Its-A-Little-Chile-Up-Here-Press-Kit-sml.pdf) |
![[Pasted image 20250406135406.png|300]]
## 📽️ Launch Video
<div class="responsive-video">
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XEAKezzYi4Q" title="Rocket Lab's Electron - It's A Little Chile Up Here Mission" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
## 📰 News
%%DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: start
```
table published as "Published"
from "News"
where contains(mission, [[021 - It's A Little Chile Up Here]])
sort published desc
```
%%
| File | Published |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- |
| [[News/Rocket Lab Successfully Launches U.S. Space Force Mission.md\|Rocket Lab Successfully Launches U.S. Space Force Mission]] | July 29, 2021 |
| [[News/Rocket Lab to Launch U.S. Space Force Mission from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.md\|Rocket Lab to Launch U.S. Space Force Mission from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand]] | July 27, 2021 |
%%DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: end %%