Fasten Your Space Belts
Fasten Your Space Belts was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for BlackSky that launched successfully at 23:17 UTC on 18 February 2025 (12:17 p.m. NZDT on 19 February; 6:17 p.m. EST on 18 February) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
23:17 UTC on 18 February 2025 · 12:17 p.m. NZDT on 19 February · 6:17 p.m. EST on 18 February
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.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: x.com -
Spacecraft separation.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: youtube.com -
Liftoff.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
Pun on Bette Davis's iconic All About Eve (1950) line: "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night" — "seat" replaced by "Space."
Mission Overview
The first of five BlackSky Technology missions to deploy its new next-generation BlackSky Gen-3 satellites. The commercial constellation of Gen-3 satellites has the capability to produce imagery with 50-centimeter resolution and host multiple sensors, including in shortwave infrared (SWIR). The improved resolution and enhanced spectral diversity of the Gen-3 satellites will expand BlackSky's ability to provide real-time information to its customers.
Technical Details
55
kiwisLaunch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 58° above the horizon at liftoff — daylight, the sky is too bright.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 12:17 p.m. NZDT · 23:17 UTC
- Astronomical dawn (−18°)
- 5:02 a.m. NZDT · 16:02 UTC
- Nautical dawn (−12°)
- 5:38 a.m. NZDT · 16:38 UTC
- Civil dawn (−6°)
- 6:12 a.m. NZDT · 17:12 UTC
- Sunrise
- 6:40 a.m. NZDT · 17:40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Electron 60 Kick Stage 2025-033A · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 40 kg | Orbit 172 × 177 km · 59.0° | Status Decayed 2026-02-23 | NORAD 63026 |
Global-31 2025-033B · Payload | Operator BlackSky Global | Built by LeoStella LLC (SFLIN/THALES) BSky | Mass 138 kg | Orbit 442 × 458 km · 59.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 63027 |
Electron 60 Stage 2 2025-033C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 123 × 192 km · 59.0° | Status Decayed 2025-02-26 | NORAD 63028 |
