Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement congratulating Millennium Aerospace, Firefly Aerospace and the team at Vandenberg Space Force Base on successfully launching Victus Nox, a mission designed to show the ability to rapidly launch a small satellite into space for national security missions.

            With only 60 hours’ notice, a satellite made by Millennium Space Systems in El Segundo, Calif., was transported to Vandenberg, where it was placed upon an Alpha rocket made by Firefly Aerospace. Liftoff took place 27 hours after the receipt of launch orders.

            “Congratulations to the entire team for the successful launch into space of the Victus Nox mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base last night,” Senator Feinstein said. “The Victus Nox mission represents an important step in our nation’s expanding capabilities in space. The whole team, Millennium, Firefly, Space Force and Vandenberg demonstrated a new capability of our nation to respond to a crisis in space in a very short window – something that would’ve been deemed impossible just a few years ago.

            “I’m especially proud of the role all the California-based teams played in this historic mission. In this year’s Senate Defense Appropriations process, I fought for a new satellite payload processing facility which will significantly expand the number of launches that can take place out of Vandenberg in the near future. California continues to play a leading role in our nation’s rapidly expanding space industry.”