Rocket Lab has successfully deployed its payload on the second launch of its Electron rocket this month and its 60th to date. The flight, dubbed ‘Fasten Your Space Belts,’ carried BlackSky’s first Gen-3 Earth imaging and analytics gathering satellite into low Earth orbit.
The mission was launched from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, on February 19, at 12:17 p.m. NZDT (6:17 p.m. EST). Rocket Lab’s founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, stated that Electron is a trusted and reliable constellation builder for companies like BlackSky, enabling them to control deployment schedules.
This mission marks the ninth launch of a payload for BlackSky, with over a dozen launches supporting their Gen-2 satellites between Rocket Lab, SpaceX, and ISRO. The company has also acquired a partner stake in Seattle-based satellite manufacturing company LeoStella, aiming to improve its supply chain control.
The Gen-3 satellite, launched on the Electron rocket, is a 35 cm high-resolution intelligence gathering satellite. It will deploy into a 470 km circular Earth orbit at a 59 degree inclination about 55 minutes after liftoff. With this mission, Rocket Lab has now launched a total of 210 satellites.
BlackSky CEO Brian O’Toole previously stated that the company aims to begin a regular deployment cadence of Gen-3 satellites in 2025, following the successful launch of its first satellite.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/02/18/rocket-lab-to-launch-blacksky-gen-3-satellite-on-60th-electron-flight