Birds of a Feather
Birds of a Feather was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for U.S. Space Force that launched successfully at 02:56 UTC on 31 January 2020 (3:56 p.m. NZDT on 31 January; 9:56 p.m. EST on 30 January) from Launch Complex 1A on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
02:56 UTC on 31 January 2020 · 3:56 p.m. NZDT on 31 January · 9:56 p.m. EST on 30 January
Mission State
This mission currently has a dated launch window in the tracker.
The primary watch link points to an official Rocket Lab source.
Name Origin
Represents the US–NZ bilateral partnership: mission patch shows a kiwi (NZ) and eagle (US) side by side. First NRO mission ever launched from foreign soil, making the "birds of a feather" symbolism explicit.
Mission Overview
This is a dedicated launch for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The contract was awarded under Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) program.
Technical Details
- https://www.rocketlabusa.com/assets/Uploads/FINAL-F11-Birds-of-a-Feather-Presskit.pdf rocketlabusa.com
- Birds of a Feather rocketlabusa.com
Launch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 50° above the horizon at liftoff — daylight, the sky is too bright.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 3:56 p.m. NZDT · 02:56 UTC
- Sunset
- 8:26 p.m. NZDT · 07:26 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 8:55 p.m. NZDT · 07:55 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 9:32 p.m. NZDT · 08:32 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 10:11 p.m. NZDT · 09:11 UTC
Twilight times at the pad (Mahia, NZ) for the evening of the launch.
What's a rocket jellyfish? When a rocket launches in twilight, the ground is dark but its exhaust plume climbs into sunlight high above. The expanding plume glows against the dark sky in a jellyfish-like shape.
Space-Object Catalog
| Object | Operator | Built by | Mass | Orbit | Status | NORAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USA 294 2020-007A · Payload | Operator National Reconnaissance Office | Built by HARRL3? NRO Unk Small | Mass 150 kg | Orbit 586 × 588 km · 70.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 45110 |
Electron 11 Kick Stage 2020-007B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 40 kg | Orbit 141 × 153 km · 69.9° | Status Decayed 2026-03-21 | NORAD 45111 |
Electron 11 Stage 2 2020-007C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 133 × 177 km · 70.0° | Status Decayed 2020-02-22 | NORAD 45112 |
