STP-27RD

The STP-27RD mission was Rocket Lab’s sixth mission and the company’s second launch of 2019. Lifting-off from Launch Complex 1, the mission lofted three research and development satellites for the U.S. Air Force's Space Test Program. 

The Space Plug and Play Architecture Research CubeSat-1 (SPARC-1) payload, sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV), was a joint Swedish-United States experiment to explore technology developments in avionics miniaturization, software defined radio systems, and space situational awareness (SSA). 

The Falcon Orbital Debris Experiment (Falcon ODE), sponsored by the United States Air Force Academy, evaluated ground-based tracking of space objects. 

The final payload was the 150kg Harbinger satellite; a commercial small satellite built by York Space Systems and sponsored by the U.S Army to demonstrate the ability of an experimental commercial system to meet DoD space capability requirements.