A satellite secretly launched by a little rocket is expected to be 'the brightest thing in the night sky'

This was unexpected. 

On Wednesday, the New Zealand rocket company Rocket Lab announced that it launched a secret satellite to space aboard the test flight of its Electron rocket over the weekend. 

That satellite, known as the Humanity Star, "is expected to become the brightest thing in the night sky," Rocket Lab said in a statement.

SEE ALSO: Space startup Rocket Lab successfully sent a rocket to orbit

The Humanity Star is shaped like a geodesic sphere and is designed to spin around and around, catching the light of the sun and reflecting it back down onto Earth. 

Of course, Rocket Lab will need to wait for actual sightings of the satellite from the ground in order to confirm that it's working as expected. Read more...

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