Success
Live and Let Fly (NROL-123)
Government/Top Secret
Rocket Lab(RL)CommercialElectron
LEOorbit
Mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.
Thursday, March 21, 2024 at 7:25 AM
Replay
Flight Timeline
- T-02:00Startup
- T-00:02Ignition
- T+00:00Liftoff
- T+00:58Supersonic
- T+01:10Max-Q
- T+02:25MECO
- T+02:28Stage 2 Separation
- T+02:32SES
- T+03:35Fairing Separation
- T+06:23Battery Hotswap
- T+09:08SECO
- T+09:12Kick Stage Separation
- T+54:20Kick Stage Burn
- T+1:00:00Payload Separation
Links
Mission details
Orbital Attempt
#6,643
RL Mission
#46
Pad Launch
#4
Location Launch
#78
Designator
2024-053
Weather GO
80%
Weather Concerns
Ground Winds
Launch Window
NET
Mar 21, 2024, 7:25 AM
Precision
Second
Schedule Changes
1 update
Lift Off
5:30 AM
Window Open
7:25 AM
Window Close
Electron Specs
Electron is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle (with an optional third stage) developed by the American aerospace company Rocket Lab. Electron is a small-lift launch vehicle designed to launch small satellites and cubesats to sun-synchronous orbit and low earth orbit. The Electron is the first orbital class rocket to use electric-pump-fed engines, powered by the 9 Rutherford engines on the first stage. It is also used as a suborbital testbed (called HASTE) for hypersonics research.
Length
18 m
Diameter
1.2 m
Launch Mass
13 t
Thrust
162 kN
LEO Capacity
300 kg
SSO Capacity
225 kg
Launch Cost
$6M
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
2017
Fastest Turnaround
21h 55m
Total Launches
88
Successful
84
Failed
4
Consecutive Success
47
Maiden flight: May 25, 2017
Social Flight Log
- Mar 21, 2024, 8:35 AM
Launch success confirmed.
Source - Mar 21, 2024, 7:25 AM
Liftoff
Source - Mar 21, 2024, 7:04 AM
Proceeding with launch at 07:25 UTC
Source - Mar 21, 2024, 6:58 AM
T-0 set to 07:25 UTC, issue still being worked on
Source - Mar 21, 2024, 6:53 AM
launch window extended
Source - Mar 21, 2024, 6:37 AM
Hold at T-04:36
Source - Mar 21, 2024, 6:11 AM
Official Webcast by Rocket Lab has started
Source - Mar 20, 2024, 5:32 PM
Adjusted launch window
Source - Mar 19, 2024, 6:13 PM
Updated launch weather.
Source - Mar 18, 2024, 8:03 PM
Tweaked T-0.
Source - Mar 15, 2024, 9:07 PM
Delayed by 1 day to march 21st
Source - Mar 15, 2024, 9:54 AM
Tweaked T-0.
Source - Mar 12, 2024, 6:06 PM
Updated launch time.
Source - Mar 7, 2024, 3:11 PM
Launch window officially confirmed.
Source - Mar 6, 2024, 2:51 PM
Added tentative launch window per marine navigation warnings.
Source - Feb 21, 2024, 12:42 PM
Edited launch code name for the NRO.
Source - Feb 21, 2024, 12:19 PM
Added launch
Source
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (Launch Area 0 C)
Total Launches
12
Orbital Attempts
4
Fastest Turnaround
8d
Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab is an American aerospace manufacturer with a wholly owned New Zealand subsidiary. The company develops lightweight, cost-effective commercial rocket launch services. The Electron Program was founded on the premise that small payloads such as CubeSats require dedicated small launch vehicles and flexibility not currently offered by traditional rocket systems. Its rocket, the Electron, is a light-weight rocket and is now operating commercially. The company is also producing a variety of spacecrafts and spacecrafts components.
Founded
2006
Administrator
CEO: Peter Beck
Total Launches
88
Successful
84
Failed
4
Pending
42
Consecutive Success
47
Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA
Wallops Flight Facility is a rocket launch site on Wallops Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, United States, just east of the Delmarva Peninsula and north-northeast of Norfolk. The facility is operated by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and primarily serves to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other federal agencies. WFF includes an extensively instrumented range to support launches of more than a dozen types of sounding rockets; small expendable suborbital and orbital rockets; high-altitude balloon flights carrying scientific instruments for atmospheric and astronomical research; and, using its Research Airport, flight tests of aeronautical research aircraft, including uncrewed aerial vehicles.
Timezone
America/New_York
Local Launch Time
Mar 21, 2024, 3:25 AM
Total Launches
86
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
37.9333, -75.4678