A DATA
W ITH D ESTI N Y
Press Kit | NET 7 DECEMBER 2021
L AU N CH
I N FO R MATI O N
LAUNCH WINDOW
O R B IT
A 14-day launch window opens
NET 7 December 2021.
430km
DAILY LAUNCH OPPORTUNITY
The launch timing for this mission will shift slightly
each day of the launch window and is 2 hrs 05
minutes each day.
NZ
UTC
07 Dec
13:40-15:45
07 Dec
00:40-02:45
08 Dec
13:10-15:15
08 Dec
00:10-02:15
09 Dec
12:45-14:50
08 Dec
23:45-01:50
10 Dec
12:20-14:25
09 Dec
23:20-01:25
11 Dec
11:50-13:55
10 Dec
22:50-00:55
12 Dec
11:25-13:30
11 Dec
22:25-00:30
13 Dec
10:50-12:55
12 Dec
21:50-23:55
14 Dec
10:30-12:35
13 Dec
21:30-23:35
15 Dec
10:05-12:10
14 Dec
21:05-23:10
16 Dec
09:35-11:40
15 Dec
20:35-22:40
17 Dec
09:10-11:15
16 Dec
20:10-22:15
18 Dec
08:40-10:45
17 Dec
19:40-21:45
19 Dec
08:15-10:20
18 Dec
19:15-21:20
20 Dec
07:50-09:55
19 Dec
18:50- 20:55
ET
PT
06 Dec
19:40-21:45
06 Dec
16:40-18:45
07 Dec
19:10-21:05
07 Dec
16:10-18:15
08 Dec
18:45-20:50
08 Dec
15:45-17:50
09 Dec
18:20-20:25
09 Dec
15:20-17:25
10 Dec
17:50-19:55
10 Dec
14:50-16:55
11 Dec
17:25-19:30
11 Dec
14:25-16:30
12 Dec
16:50-18:55
12 Dec
13:50-15:55
13 Dec
16:30-18:35
13 Dec
13:30-15:30
14 Dec
16:05-18:10
14 Dec
13:05-15:05
15 Dec
15:35-17:40
15 Dec
12:35-14:40
16 Dec
15:10-17:15
16 Dec
12:10-14:15
17 Dec
14:40-16:45
17 Dec
11:40-13:45
18 Dec
14:15-16:20
18 Dec
11:15-13:20
19 Dec
13:50-15:55
19 Dec
10:50-12:55
2 | Rocket Lab | Press Kit: ‘A Data With Destiny’
SATE LLITE S
2
INCLINATION
42
Degrees
C U STO M E R
BlackSky
Dedicated mission
M i ss i o n
OVE RVI E W
About ‘A Data With Destiny’
‘A Data With Destiny’ is the next in a succession of
dedicated Electron launches for BlackSky, following
the recent successful launch of Love At First Insight on
November 18, 2021.
The ‘A Data With Destiny mission is the
latest in a multi-launch agreement signed
earlier this year for BlackSky between
Rocket Lab and Spaceflight Inc, which
is providing integration and mission
management services for BlackSky.
This mission will deploy the 10th and
11th satellites of BlackSky’s low Earth
orbit constellation, with another two
BlackSkyGen-2 satellites next on the
manifest for launch.
The ‘A Data With Destiny’ launch will bring the total
number of satellites launched by Rocket Lab to 109.
Rocket Lab will not attempt to recover Electron for
this mission.
3 | Rocket Lab | Press Kit: ‘A Data With Destiny’
LAUNCH COMPLEX 1
MAHIA, NEW ZEALAND
Launching from Rocket
Lab Launch Complex 1
on New Zealand’s Mahia
Peninsula, the ‘A Data With
Destiny’ mission will be
Rocket Lab’s 23rd Electron
launch overall and sixth
mission of 2021.
Payloads onboard Electron:
BlackSky Gen-2
Electron will deploy two of BlackSky’s high-resolution,
multi-spectral Gen-2 satellites to low Earth orbit, expanding
BlackSky’s network in space and offering of real-time
geospatial intelligence and monitoring services.
BlackSky combines high-resolution images captured by its
constellation of microsatellites with its proprietary Spectra AI
software platform to deliver analytics and insights to
government customers and industries including
transportation, infrastructure, land use, and supply chain
management.
The two BlackSky Gen-2 satellites on this mission, along with
those previously launched by Rocket Lab for BlackSky,
represent the largest number of satellites BlackSky has
dedicated to a single launch provider to date.
Vi E W I N G
A L AU N CH
O N LI N E
Live str eam li n ks
The livestream is viewable at:
rocketlabusa.com/live-stream
Webcast will be live approx. T-20 minutes
U p dat e s
L au n c h f o otag e & i m ag e s
Images and footage of the ‘A Data With
Destiny’ launch will be available shortly after
a successful mission at:
www.rocketlabusa.com/about-us/
updates/link-to-rocket-lab-imageryand-video
F o l lo w R o c k e t L a b :
For information on launch day visit:
@RocketLab
rocketlabusa.com/next-mission
facebook.com/RocketLabUSA
4 | Rocket Lab | Press Kit: ‘A Data With Destiny’
VI E W I N G
A L AU N CH
I N P E R SO N
Location
More information visit
Wairoa District Council has allocated a rocket launch viewing area for the
www.visitwairoa.co.nz/welcome-to-
public near Nuhaka, accessible via Blucks Pit Road. Scrubs and postponements
wairoa/space-coast-new-zealand
are likely during launch windows, so visitors to the Blucks Pit viewing site
should anticipate multiple postponements, sometimes across several days.
2
State Highway
Nuhaka
Opoutama Road
Blucks Pit Road
LC-1 Launch
Viewing Area
27km from Launch Pad
km
27
Rocket Lab
Launch Complex 1
5 | Rocket Lab | Press Kit: ‘A Data With Destiny’
Mahia
TI M E LI N E
O F L AU N CH
E VE NTS
Event
-06:00:00
Road to the launch site closed
-04:00:00
Electron is raised vertical, fuelling begins
-02:30:00
Launch pad personnel exit area ahead of launch
-02:00:00
Electron filled with liquid oxygen (LOX)
-02:00:00
Safety zones are activated for designated marine space
-00:30:00
Safety zones are activated for designated airspace
-00:18:00
GO/NO GO poll
-00:02:00
Launch autosequence begins
-00:00:02
Rutherford engines ignite
00:00:00
Lift-off
+00:02:32
Main Engine Cut Off (MECO) on Electron’s first stage
+00:02:35
Stage 1 separates from Stage 2
+00:02:39
Electron’s Stage 2 Rutherford engine ignites
+00:03:12
Fairing separation
+00:06:08
Battery hot-swap
+00:08:44
Electron reaches orbit
+00:08:52
Stage 2 separation from Kick Stage
+00:50:16
Kick Stage Curie engine ignition
+00:51:58
Curie engine Cut Off
~+01:00:00
6 | Rocket Lab | Press Kit: ‘A Data With Destiny’
BlackSky payloads deployed
E lec tr o n
L au n ch
Ve h i cle
Overall
LENGTH
Fairing
18m
DIAMETER (MAX)
1.2m
STAGES
2 + Kick Stage
Payload
plate
Kick stage
VEHICLE MASS (LIFT-OFF)
13,000kg
MATERIAL/STRUCTURE
SECOND
stage
Carbon Fiber Composite/Monocoque
PROPELLANT
LOX/Kerosene
RUTHERFORD
VACUUM ENGINE
Payload
NOMINAL PAYLOAD
INTERSTAGE
200kg / 440lbm To 500km SSO
FAIRING DIAMETER
1.2m
FAIRING HEIGHT
2.5m
FAIRING SEP SYSTEM
Pneumatic Unlocking, Springs
FIRST STAGE
Stage 2
PROPULSION
1x Rutherford Vacuum Engine
THRUST
5800 LBF Vacuum
ISP
343 Sec
Interstage
SEPARATION SYSTEM
Pneumatic Pusher
Stage 1
PROPULSION
9x Rutherford Sea Level Engines
THRUST
Power Pack
5600 LBF Sea Level (Per Engine)
ISP
311 Sec
7 | Rocket Lab | Press Kit: ‘A Data With Destiny’
9x Rutherford
Sea Level Engines
L AU N CH
VI S I B I LIT Y MAP
When and where to spot the launch
1
3
2
4
5
6
7
8
S1 Separation
Fairing
Jettison
9
10
11
12
13
Battery Hotswap
Second Stage
Cut-Off
Note:
Numbers apply
to the centre
of the circle.
8 | Rocket Lab | Press Kit: ‘A Data With Destiny’
Marker
Mission Time
1
T+ 01:00
2
T+ 01:30
3
T+ 02:00
4
T+ 02:30
5
T+ 03:00
6
T+ 03:30
7
T+ 04:00
8
T+ 04:30
9
T+ 05:00
10
T+ 05:30
11
T+ 06:00
12
T+ 06:30
13
T+ 07:00
Co n tac t u s
rocketlabusa.com
media@rocketlabusa.com
Co n n e c t w i t h u s
@rocketlab
RocketLabUSA
facebook.com/rocketlabusa