Live and Let Fly
Live and Let Fly was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for U.S. Space Force that launched successfully at 07:25 UTC on 21 March 2024 (8:25 p.m. NZDT on 21 March; 3:25 a.m. EDT on 21 March) from Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Island, Virginia.
07:25 UTC on 21 March 2024 · 8:25 p.m. NZDT on 21 March · 3:25 a.m. EDT on 21 March
Ground Winds
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 confirmed.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: twitter.com -
Liftoff
by hitura-nobad Source: youtube.com -
Proceeding with launch at 07:25 UTC
by hitura-nobad Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
This mission name is a playful allusion to the James Bond movie title "Live and Let Die," aligning with Rocket Lab's tradition of using engaging pop culture references for its launches.
Mission Overview
Mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.
Technical Details
Launch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 40° below the horizon at liftoff — full night, the plume stays in Earth's shadow.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 3:25 a.m. EDT · 07:25 UTC
- Astronomical dawn (−18°)
- 5:35 a.m. EDT · 09:35 UTC
- Nautical dawn (−12°)
- 6:06 a.m. EDT · 10:06 UTC
- Civil dawn (−6°)
- 6:36 a.m. EDT · 10:36 UTC
- Sunrise
- 7:03 a.m. EDT · 11:03 UTC
Twilight times at the pad (Wallops, VA) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USA 352 2024-053A · Payload | Operator National Reconnaissance Office | Built by Unknown US manufacturer (classified satellite) NROL-199 | Mass 100 kg | Orbit 318 × 327 km · 50.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 59288 |
Mola 2024-053B · Payload | Operator US Naval Postgraduate School | Built by US Naval Postgraduate School Cubesat 6U | Mass 10 kg | Orbit 352 × 355 km · 50.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 59289 |
Aerocube 16A 2024-053C · Payload | Operator Aerospace Corp. | Built by Aerospace Corp. Cubesat 6U | Mass 10 kg | Orbit 423 × 426 km · 50.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 59290 |
Aerocube 16B 2024-053D · Payload | Operator Aerospace Corp. | Built by Aerospace Corp. Cubesat 6U | Mass 10 kg | Orbit 424 × 426 km · 50.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 59291 |
Electron 46 Kick Stage 2024-053E · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 40 kg | Orbit 404 × 412 km · 50.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 59292 |
Electron 46 Stage 2 2024-053F · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 139 × 146 km · 50.1° | Status Decayed 2024-06-10 | NORAD 59293 |
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