On 2026-08-27, Rocket Lab announced that the Hungry Hippo fairing section of its Neutron rocket completed all necessary testing before its first flight, including opening and closing of the halves in flight-like conditions. ^[1] On November 9, 1970, NASA launched the Orbiting Frog Otolith (OFO-A) mission aboard a Scout rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia. ^[2] The mission carried two bullfrogs to study how the vestibular system functions in the absence of gravity. ^[3] Earlier in August 2026, Rocket Lab reported that the Hungry Hippo fairing had received all required subystems, including thermal protection, control surfaces, and avionics. ^[4] In August 2026, Rocket Lab disclosed that its Archimedes engine had completed over 400 hot-fire tests, with control and durability confirmed across flight hardware for all major components. ^[5] Rocket Lab was selected by the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command as a partner for the Space Data Network (SDN), for which it will develop and test communications systems and perform an on-orbit demonstration with one of its Photon satellites. ^[6] Researchers concluded that the frogs' nervous systems gradually adapted to microgravity over the course of the mission. ^[7] Researchers monitored the animals for six days, recording 139 hours of data on their equilibrium. ^[8]