Love At First Insight
Love At First Insight was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for BlackSky that launched successfully at 01:38 UTC on 18 November 2021 (2:38 p.m. NZDT on 18 November; 8:38 p.m. EST on 17 November) from Launch Complex 1A on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
01:38 UTC on 18 November 2021 · 2:38 p.m. NZDT on 18 November · 8:38 p.m. EST on 17 November
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
-
Payload successfully deployed via rocket lab twitter.
by scottm3 Source: twitter.com -
Adjusting T-0 and setting GO
by Nosu Source: twitter.com -
Delayed once again due to weather.
by spacevogel Source: twitter.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
This mission name playfully adapts "love at first sight" to highlight the immediate value and critical "insights" BlackSky's Earth observation satellites are expected to provide right from their initial data.
Mission Overview
Payload consists of two BlackSky Gen-2 high-resolution multi-spectral Earth observation satellites.
Technical Details
48
kiwis- https://www.rocketlabusa.com/assets/Uploads/Rocket-Lab-F22-Love-At-First-Insight-Press-Kit.pdf rocketlabusa.com
- Love At First Insight rocketlabusa.com
Launch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 60° above the horizon at liftoff — daylight, the sky is too bright.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 2:38 p.m. NZDT · 01:38 UTC
- Sunset
- 8:04 p.m. NZDT · 07:04 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 8:35 p.m. NZDT · 07:35 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 9:12 p.m. NZDT · 08:12 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 9:54 p.m. NZDT · 08:54 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Global-14 2021-106A · Payload | Operator BlackSky Global | Built by LeoStella LLC (SFLIN/THALES) BSky | Mass 55 kg | Orbit 384 × 410 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 49469 |
Global-15 2021-106B · Payload | Operator BlackSky Global | Built by LeoStella LLC (SFLIN/THALES) BSky | Mass 55 kg | Orbit 174 × 190 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2024-09-20 | NORAD 49470 |
Electron TopHat adapter 2021-106C · Debris | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. TopHat | Mass 20 kg | Orbit 200 × 211 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2022-03-12 | NORAD 49471 |
Electron 22 Stage 2 2021-106D · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 153 × 194 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2021-11-30 | NORAD 49472 |
Electron 22 Kick Stage 2021-106E · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 40 kg | Orbit 153 × 277 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2021-11-22 | NORAD 49473 |
