Rocket Lab launches BlackSky satellites

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab launched a pair of BlackSky imaging satellites March 24 on a launch that was also a test of its ability to recover and reuse boosters.

The Electron rocket lifted off at 5:14 a.m. Eastern from the company’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. Weather postponed the launch two days, while concerns about an ongoing geomagnetic storm caused the launch to slip by nearly 90 minutes.

The rocket’s kick stage deployed its payload of two Gen-2 imaging satellites for BlackSky about 55 minutes after liftoff. The satellites were placed in circular orbits at an…