Overview
- Rocket Lab launched the Victus Haze Puma from Māhia Peninsula on June 19 after receiving a formal notice to launch and lifted off within 16 hours and 42 minutes, a new TacRS responsive‑launch pace.
- The company reported it completed on‑orbit commissioning in 37 hours and 36 minutes and moved into rendezvous and proximity operations with True Anomaly’s Jackal‑0004 to practice close inspection maneuvers.
- Open‑source trackers and the U.S. military catalog showed Puma approached within about 100 kilometers of Jackal roughly eight hours after launch, signaling rapid on‑orbit maneuvering well inside the exercise’s 72‑hour window.
- The mission was conducted with low public visibility, with limited advance notice, no public livestream, and initial confirmation coming from catalog updates and company or military statements days later.
- Victus Haze builds on TacRS work dating to 2023 and pairs commercial providers under government contracts; reporting cites a $32 million Rocket Lab award and $30 million to True Anomaly while some accounts aggregate about $92 million, creating inconsistent cost figures.