Eight Days A Week
Eight Days A Week was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for Synspective that launched successfully at 18:10 UTC on 20 March 2026 (7:10 a.m. NZDT on 21 March; 2:10 p.m. EDT on 20 March) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
18:10 UTC on 20 March 2026 · 7:10 a.m. NZDT on 21 March · 2:10 p.m. EDT on 20 March
Mission State
This mission currently has a dated launch window in the tracker.
The primary watch link points to an official Rocket Lab source.
Launch Updates
-
Launch success with satellite in normal contact.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: synspective.com -
Spacecraft separation.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: youtube.com -
Liftoff
by Nosu Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
Beatles song pun: "Eight Days A Week" (1964) chosen because this was Rocket Lab's 8th Electron launch for Synspective's StriX SAR satellite constellation.
Mission Overview
Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.
In the news
- Mission Success: Rocket Lab Launches Latest Satellite for Synspective (opens in a new tab) Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab's Electron achieves 84th launch. Deploys Synspective's 8th StriX SAR satellite to 573 km LEO from New Zealand. Partnership adds 19 more dedicated launches by 2028. (142 characters)
- Rocket Lab launches eighth Synspective radar imaging satellite (opens in a new tab) SpaceNews
Rocket Lab launched Synspective's eighth StriX SAR satellite on Electron March 20 from New Zealand. Electron deployed it to 573 km, 50.2° orbit 55 min after 2:10 p.m. ET liftoff. Synspective holds 19 Electron contracts…
Technical Details
40
kiwis- Eight Days A Week rocketlabcorp.com
Launch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
LowSun 1° below the horizon at liftoff — the sky is still too bright for the plume to stand out.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 7:10 a.m. NZDT · 18:10 UTC
- Astronomical dawn (−18°)
- 5:41 a.m. NZDT · 16:41 UTC
- Nautical dawn (−12°)
- 6:13 a.m. NZDT · 17:13 UTC
- Civil dawn (−6°)
- 6:45 a.m. NZDT · 17:45 UTC
- Sunrise
- 7:11 a.m. NZDT · 18:11 UTC
Twilight times at the pad (Mahia, NZ) for the morning 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
StriX-6 2026-056A · Payload | Operator Synspective Inc. | Built by Synspective Inc. StriX | Mass 150 kg | Orbit 552 × 574 km · 50.3° | Status On orbit | NORAD 68291 |
Electron 84 Stage 2 2026-056B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 126 × 197 km · 50.2° | Status Decayed 2026-03-31 | NORAD 68292 |
Electron 84 Kick Stage 2026-056C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 50 kg | Orbit 298 × 397 km · 50.3° | Status On orbit | NORAD 68293 |
