Symphony In The Stars
Symphony In The Stars was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for EchoStar that launched successfully at 07:08 UTC on 28 June 2025 (7:08 p.m. NZST on 28 June; 3:08 a.m. EDT on 28 June) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
07:08 UTC on 28 June 2025 · 7:08 p.m. NZST on 28 June · 3:08 a.m. EDT on 28 June
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.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: x.com -
Liftoff
by SwGustav Source: youtube.com -
Official Webcast by Rocket Lab has started
by LL2 Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
EchoStar's satellite is Lyra-4, named after the constellation Lyra (the lyre, a musical instrument of Greek myth). "Symphony in the Stars" fuses the musical instrument theme with its orbital destination.
Mission Overview
'Symphony In The Stars' is the first of two dedicated missions on Electron to deploy a single spacecraft to a 650km circular Earth orbit for a confidential commercial customer. A second dedicated launch on Electron to meet those same mission requirements is scheduled for launch before the end of 2025. The payload has since been identified by USSF as EchoStar's Lyra-4, an EchoStar Lyra Block 1 satellite. It is a 4-satellite constellation that will deliver global Internet of Things (IoT), machine-to-machine (M2M) and other data services through S-band. EchoStar will operate the constellation from its Australian subsidiary, EchoStar Global.
Technical Details
30
kiwisLaunch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 25° below the horizon at liftoff — full night, the plume stays in Earth's shadow.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 7:08 p.m. NZST · 07:08 UTC
- Sunset
- 4:54 p.m. NZST · 04:54 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 5:24 p.m. NZST · 05:24 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 5:58 p.m. NZST · 05:58 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 6:30 p.m. NZST · 06:30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lyra 4 2025-140A · Payload | Operator EchoStar Global Australia | Built by Astro Digital Corvus XL | Mass 74 kg | Orbit 643 × 662 km · 96.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 64691 |
Electron 68 Kick Stage 2025-140B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 50 kg | Orbit 638 × 659 km · 96.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 64692 |
Electron 68 Stage 2 2025-140C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 128 × 172 km · 96.0° | Status Decayed 2025-07-13 | NORAD 64693 |