CatSat Launches aboard Firefly Aerospace's Noise of Summer Mission

A 9:04 PM PDT (04:04 UTC), a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket leapt off the pad at Space Launch Complex 2, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The mission, called Noise of Summer, carried CatSat as well as 7 other payloads as part of NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative. The rocket reached orbit as expected a few minutes after launch, although the deployment of CatSat was not confirmed during the live stream.

The CatSat team watched the liftoff from Room 307 in the Meinel Optical Sciences Building before running out to the mall to see the rocket's plume, which became visible over Tucson a few minutes after launch.