July 17 (UPI) -- California space firm Rocket Lab successfully launched seven satellites into orbit from New Zealand on Tuesday under sunny skies, after having pushed back the launch several hours.
Liftoff occurred at 1:27 p.m. local time Tuesday, or 9:27 p.m. EDT Monday, at the end of a two-hour window for the launch on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
"Lift-off for BabyComeBack, carrying satellites for @NASA, @SFL_SmallSats and @SpireGlobal!" Rocket Lab tweeted as the rocket blasted off.
The launch had been delayed since last week because of inclement weather.
The Electron rocket carried seven small satellites for three separate customers, including NASA. The satellites will be used to gather information about and data on Earth's atmosphere to help improve weather forecasting.
The launch also replaced a decommissioned technology spacecraft and sent a pair of navigation satellites into space.
All are low-orbit satellites, orbiting a few hundred miles above Earth.
The company recovered the first stage rocket from the Pacific Ocean shortly after the launch. The device parachuted into the water at 9:44 p.m. EDT and was recovered by a specialized ship.
On two occasions, the company has attempted to recover rockets from the ocean using helicopters, but was unsuccessful both times.
Operation Baby Come Back marks Rocket Lab's seventh Electron launch of this year and 39th overall, the company said.
