Virginia is for Launch Lovers
Virginia is for Launch Lovers was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for HawkEye 360 that launched successfully at 23:00 UTC on 24 January 2023 (12:00 p.m. NZDT on 25 January; 6:00 p.m. EST on 24 January) from Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Island, Virginia.
23:00 UTC on 24 January 2023 · 12:00 p.m. NZDT on 25 January · 6:00 p.m. EST on 24 January
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
-
Success confirmed
by SwGustav Source: twitter.com -
Liftoff
by SwGustav Source: youtube.com -
Coverage live
by SwGustav Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
Play on Virginia's 1969 tourism slogan "Virginia Is for Lovers" — marking Electron's first US launch from Wallops Island for Virginia-based customer HawkEye 360.
Mission Overview
Rideshare mission with 3 HawkEye 360 satellites.
Technical Details
16
kiwisLaunch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
HighSun 8° below the horizon at liftoff — prime twilight.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 6:00 p.m. EST · 23:00 UTC
- Sunset
- 5:16 p.m. EST · 22:16 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 5:44 p.m. EST · 22:44 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 6:16 p.m. EST · 23:16 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 6:47 p.m. EST · 23:47 UTC
Twilight times at the pad (Wallops, VA) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hawk 6B 2023-011A · Payload | Operator HawkEye 360 Inc. | Built by UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory Hawk2G | Mass 31 kg | Orbit 492 × 496 km · 40.5° | Status On orbit | NORAD 55324 |
Electron 33 Kick Stage 2023-011B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 40 kg | Orbit 194 × 211 km · 40.5° | Status Decayed 2025-10-20 | NORAD 55325 |
Hawk 6C 2023-011C · Payload | Operator HawkEye 360 Inc. | Built by UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory Hawk2G | Mass 31 kg | Orbit 492 × 497 km · 40.5° | Status On orbit | NORAD 55326 |
Hawk 6A 2023-011D · Payload | Operator HawkEye 360 Inc. | Built by UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory Hawk2G | Mass 31 kg | Orbit 492 × 496 km · 40.5° | Status On orbit | NORAD 55327 |
Electron 33 Stage 2 2023-011E · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 145 × 176 km · 40.5° | Status Decayed 2023-05-27 | NORAD 55328 |
