Without Mission A Beat
Without Mission A Beat was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for BlackSky that launched successfully at 12:41 UTC on 2 April 2022 (1:41 a.m. NZDT on 3 April; 8:41 a.m. EDT on 2 April) from Launch Complex 1A on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
12:41 UTC on 2 April 2022 · 1:41 a.m. NZDT on 3 April · 8:41 a.m. EDT on 2 April
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
-
Successful launch
by Nosu Source: twitter.com -
Liftoff
by Nosu Source: youtube.com -
Webcast live
by Nosu Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
Pun on "without missing a beat" — "missing" replaced with "mission." Reflects Rocket Lab's relentless launch cadence for BlackSky with no pauses between missions.
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-Without-Mission-A-Beat-Press-Kit2.pdf rocketlabusa.com
- Without Mission A Beat rocketlabusa.com
Launch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 55° below the horizon at liftoff — full night, the plume stays in Earth's shadow.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 1:41 a.m. NZDT · 12:41 UTC
- Astronomical dawn (−18°)
- 4:55 a.m. NZST · 16:55 UTC
- Nautical dawn (−12°)
- 5:26 a.m. NZST · 17:26 UTC
- Civil dawn (−6°)
- 5:57 a.m. NZST · 17:57 UTC
- Sunrise
- 6:24 a.m. NZST · 18:24 UTC
Twilight times at the pad (Mahia, NZ) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Electron TopHat adapter 2022-034A · Debris | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. TopHat | Mass 20 kg | Orbit 173 × 191 km · 53.0° | Status Decayed 2022-06-21 | NORAD 52195 |
Global-18 2022-034B · Payload | Operator BlackSky Global | Built by LeoStella LLC (SFLIN/THALES) BSky | Mass 55 kg | Orbit 411 × 416 km · 53.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 52196 |
Global-20 2022-034C · Payload | Operator BlackSky Global | Built by LeoStella LLC (SFLIN/THALES) BSky | Mass 55 kg | Orbit 141 × 146 km · 53.0° | Status Decayed 2025-04-01 | NORAD 52197 |
Electron 25 Stage 2 2022-034D · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 136 × 195 km · 53.0° | Status Decayed 2022-04-06 | NORAD 52198 |
Electron 25 Kick Stage 2022-034E · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 40 kg | Orbit 143 × 231 km · 53.0° | Status Decayed 2022-04-11 | NORAD 52199 |
