Full Stream Ahead
Full Stream Ahead was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for BlackSky that launched successfully at 23:57 UTC on 2 June 2025 (11:57 a.m. NZST on 3 June; 7:57 p.m. EDT on 2 June) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
23:57 UTC on 2 June 2025 · 11:57 a.m. NZST on 3 June · 7:57 p.m. EDT on 2 June
Disclaimer: This livestream is from a third-party channel and is not an official Rocket Lab broadcast.
Mission State
This mission currently has a dated launch window in the tracker.
The current watch link is from a third-party source rather than Rocket Lab directly.
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 "full steam ahead" with "stream" replacing "steam" — a deliberate nod to BlackSky's core business: continuous real-time streaming of high-resolution Earth observation data.
Mission Overview
2nd of the BlackSky Gen-3 high resolution Earth-imaging satellites.
Technical Details
55
kiwisLaunch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 28° above the horizon at liftoff — daylight, the sky is too bright.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 11:57 a.m. NZST · 23:57 UTC
- Astronomical dawn (−18°)
- 5:44 a.m. NZST · 17:44 UTC
- Nautical dawn (−12°)
- 6:16 a.m. NZST · 18:16 UTC
- Civil dawn (−6°)
- 6:50 a.m. NZST · 18:50 UTC
- Sunrise
- 7:20 a.m. NZST · 19:20 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 65 Kick Stage 2025-118A · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 40 kg | Orbit 171 × 176 km · 59.0° | Status Decayed 2026-10-13 | NORAD 64230 |
Global-32 2025-118B · Payload | Operator BlackSky Global | Built by LeoStella LLC (SFLIN/THALES) BSky | Mass 138 kg | Orbit 440 × 457 km · 59.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 64231 |
Electron 65 Stage 2 2025-118C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 136 × 226 km · 59.0° | Status Decayed 2025-06-11 | NORAD 64232 |
