‘Fasten Your Space Belts’: Rocket Lab’s 60th Electron Launch Delivers Next-Gen BlackSky Satellite To Orbit

On Tuesday, 18th February, Rocket Lab successfully launched its 60th Electron rocket, placing the first of BlackSky’s next-generation Earth-imaging satellites into orbit. The mission, named ‘Fasten Your Space Belts’, lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, at 6:17 p.m. EST (2317 UTC).

Fasten Your Space Belts Mission

The ‘Fasten Your Space Belts’ mission marked Rocket Lab’s ninth launch for BlackSky since their partnership began in 2019. This latest flight introduced BlackSky’s advanced Gen-3 Earth observation satellite, featuring 35 cm high-resolution imaging to enhance geospatial intelligence capabilities.

Rocket Lab confirmed on X that Electron successfully placed the satellite into a circular orbit 292 miles (470 kilometres) above Earth. This occured approximately 55.5 minutes after liftoff.

“The successful launch of our first Gen-3 satellite represents a major step forward in delivering transformative, next-generation space-based intelligence capabilities to our customers. We look forward to commissioning this new satellite and delivering very high-resolution imagery and AI-enabled analytics at industry-leading speeds,” BlackSky’s CEO, Brian O’Toole, commented on the achievement.

Reaching 210 Satellites&Advancing Reusability

With the mission’s success, Rocket Lab has now launched a total of 210 satellites. The “Fasten Your Space Belts” mission used Rocket Lab’s Motorized Lightband system to deploy the Gen-3 satellite. Additionally, the company attempted to recover the Electron booster, continuing its efforts toward reusability.

Expanding BlackSky’s Constellation

Rocket Lab’s 60th launch highlights its ongoing role in expanding BlackSky’s satellite constellation. This mission is part of Rocket Lab’s busy 2025 launch schedule. It paves the way for more dedicated Electron launches for BlackSky, missions from Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, and the debut of the new medium-lift reusable rocket, Neutron.

“Electron is a trusted and reliable constellation builder for companies like BlackSky,” said Rocket Lab CEO Sir Peter Beck.