Look Ma, No Hands
Look Ma, No Hands was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for Unseenlabs that launched successfully at 12:12 UTC on 19 August 2019 (12:12 a.m. NZST on 20 August; 8:12 a.m. EDT on 19 August) from Launch Complex 1A on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
12:12 UTC on 19 August 2019 · 12:12 a.m. NZST on 20 August · 8:12 a.m. EDT on 19 August
Mission State
This mission currently has a dated launch window in the tracker.
The primary watch link points to an official Rocket Lab source.
Name Origin
Named for the moment the launch pad strongback releases Electron just before liftoff — the rocket stands unsupported for the first time. Confirmed by Rocket Lab's own launch broadcast.
Mission Overview
Mission carries a satellite for the future UNSEENLABS maritime tracking constellation, a BlackSky Global-4 Earth observation satellite, and two experimental satellites for United States Air Force Space Command.
Technical Details
32
kiwis- Look Ma, No Hands rocketlabusa.com
Launch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 63° below the horizon at liftoff — full night, the plume stays in Earth's shadow.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 12:12 a.m. NZST · 12:12 UTC
- Sunset
- 5:33 p.m. NZST · 05:33 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 6:01 p.m. NZST · 06:01 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 6:32 p.m. NZST · 06:32 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 7:03 p.m. NZST · 07:03 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.
Space-Object Catalog
| Object | Operator | Built by | Mass | Orbit | Status | NORAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BRO-1 2019-054A · Payload | Operator UnseenLabs SAS | Built by GomSpace Cubesat 6U | Mass 10 kg | Orbit 154 × 166 km · 45.0° | Status Decayed 2026-07-18 | NORAD 44495 |
Electron 8 Kick Stage 2019-054B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 50 kg | Orbit 155 × 161 km · 45.0° | Status Decayed 2025-02-12 | NORAD 44496 |
Pearl White 1 2019-054C · Payload | Operator US Air Force Space Command | Built by Tiger Innovations, Inc. Cubesat 6U | Mass 10 kg | Orbit 179 × 190 km · 45.0° | Status Decayed 2025-05-04 | NORAD 44497 |
Pearl White 2 2019-054D · Payload | Operator US Air Force Space Command | Built by Tiger Innovations, Inc. Cubesat 6U | Mass 10 kg | Orbit 168 × 173 km · 45.0° | Status Decayed 2025-03-03 | NORAD 44498 |
Global-4 2019-054E · Payload | Operator BlackSky Global | Built by LeoStella LLC (SFLIN/THALES) BSky | Mass 55 kg | Orbit 321 × 332 km · 45.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 44499 |
Electron 8 Stage 2 2019-054F · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 162 × 169 km · 45.0° | Status Decayed 2020-11-05 | NORAD 44500 |
