It's a Test
It's a Test was a Rocket Lab Electron mission that ended in a launch failure after lifting off at 04:20 UTC on 25 May 2017 (4:20 p.m. NZST on 25 May; 12:20 a.m. EDT on 25 May) from Launch Complex 1A on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
04:20 UTC on 25 May 2017 · 4:20 p.m. NZST on 25 May · 12:20 a.m. EDT on 25 May
Disclaimer: This livestream is from a third-party channel and is not an official Rocket Lab broadcast.
Mission Failure
Mission did not achieve its intended objectives
Third-party contractor supporting the launch misconfigured ground equipment that translated radio signals from the rocket into data used by range safety officials. That caused “extensive corruption of received position data,” resulting in the data loss that led safety officials to trigger the rocket’s flight termination system.
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.
Name Origin
The name "It's a Test" clearly signifies this is a developmental flight for Rocket Lab's Electron rocket. It's a crucial stage to validate hardware, software, or procedures before operational missions, emphasizing its experimental purpose.
Technical Details
- It's a Test rocketlabusa.com
Launch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 6° above the horizon at liftoff — daylight, the sky is too bright.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 4:20 p.m. NZST · 04:20 UTC
- Sunset
- 4:57 p.m. NZST · 04:57 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 5:26 p.m. NZST · 05:26 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 5:59 p.m. NZST · 05:59 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 6:31 p.m. NZST · 06:31 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.