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Curveball mission patch
Mission

Curveball

Last Updated: 2 months ago

Curveball was a Rocket Lab Electron mission that launched successfully at 08:00 UTC on 11 June 2026 (8:00 p.m. NZST on 11 June; 4:00 a.m. EDT on 11 June) from Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Island, Virginia.

SUCCESS
Orbit Achieved
Unknown
Vehicle
Electron
Launch Site
LC-2
Orbit
Low Earth Orbit
Profile
Government/Top Secret
Thursday, June 11, 2026 08:00 AM UTC Wallops Island, Virginia, USA

08:00 UTC on 11 June 2026 · 8:00 p.m. NZST on 11 June · 4:00 a.m. EDT on 11 June

Mission State

Schedule
Date and time on file

This mission currently has a dated launch window in the tracker.

Coverage
No stream on file

No livestream or replay link is currently attached to this mission.

Launch Updates

4

  1. Launch success.

    by Cosmic_Penguin Source: rocketlabcorp.com

  2. Liftoff.

    by Cosmic_Penguin Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com

  3. Hold, awaiting propellant losding,

    by Cosmic_Penguin Source: x.com

Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).

Name Origin

AI

HASTE stands for Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron, Rocket Lab's dedicated hypersonic testbed. 'Curveball' refers to the mission's objective of testing hypersonic flight maneuvers, reflecting the unpredictable nature of the vehicle's trajectory.

"Curveball"

Mission Overview

Sub-orbital launch under Rocket Lab’s Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) program, details TBD. Note: Despite reported as a strictly sub-orbital launch program, this launch was cataloged by the USSF to have left 2 rocket stages in a 200 km, 40° very low Earth orbit by the US Space Force. The payload was not cataloged and may have been deliberately de-orbited.

Technical Details

Vehicle
Electron
Rocket Lab launch vehicle
Launch Site
Launch Complex 2
LC-2 · Wallops Island, Virginia, USA
Target Orbit
Low Earth Orbit
Planned deployment regime
Mission Profile
Government/Top Secret
Mission architecture
Payload Mass
Classified
Booster Recovery
Not attempted
First-stage recovery outcome
Pad Turnaround
Since the previous launch from this pad
Customer
Unknown
Mission customer

Launch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.

Was this a jellyfish launch?

Moderate

Sun 16° below the horizon at liftoff — late twilight, only the high plume is still sunlit.

Details
  • Unlikely
  • Low
  • Moderate
  • High
Liftoff
4:00 a.m. EDT · 08:00 UTC
Astronomical dawn (−18°)
3:44 a.m. EDT · 07:44 UTC
Nautical dawn (−12°)
4:29 a.m. EDT · 08:29 UTC
Civil dawn (−6°)
5:08 a.m. EDT · 09:08 UTC
Sunrise
5:39 a.m. EDT · 09:39 UTC

Twilight times at the pad (Wallops, VA) 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.

Example: Owl New World (RNZ)

Space-Object Catalog

2026-130
Flight 89 · Orbital · Success
2 tracked objects
Electron 89 Stage 2
2026-130A · Stage
Operator Rocket Lab USA
Built by
Rocket Lab USA
Electron St2
Mass 250 kg
Orbit 189 × 204 km · 40.0°
Status Decayed 2026-06-12
NORAD 69476
Electron 89 Kick Stage
2026-130B · Stage
Operator Rocket Lab USA
Built by
Rocket Lab USA
Kick Stage
Mass 40 kg
Orbit 198 × 199 km · 40.0°
Status Decayed 2026-06-17
NORAD 69477
Catalog data: J. McDowell, planet4589.org (CC BY 4.0) and CelesTrak