Rocket LabElectronRocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
That's a Funny Looking Cactus (STP-27RD)
Launched
May 5, 2019

Summary
That's a Funny Looking Cactus (STP-27RD) launched on a Rocket Lab Electron from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand on May 5, 2019. It was Rocket Lab's 6th launch, 2nd this year and humanity's 5,849th orbital launch attempt. It was the 6th Electron flight and the 2nd this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). AFOTEC-1, one of 5 catalogued objects, reached a 492 × 519 km orbit inclined 40.0°. 5 objects from this launch are catalogued, 3 of them payloads.
- Watch
- STP-27RD Launch - 05/05/2019Rocket Lab
- Vehicle
- Electron · Rocket Lab
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Dedicated Rideshare · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 6th Electron flight · 2nd this yearRocket Lab's 6th launch2nd this yearhumanity's 5,849th orbital launch attempt29th orbital launch attempt this year
Webcast
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
AFOTEC-1 · NORAD 44225 · 2019-026 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 5 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 2019-026A
- Epoch
- 2019-05-05 08:04:46 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.22559906 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0019985
- Inclination
- 40.0222°
- Ascending node
- 235.0134°
- Arg. of perigee
- 256.9229°
- Mean anomaly
- 103.46°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
5 catalogued: 3 payloads, 2 rocket stages; none still in orbit
- AFOTEC-1 · NORAD 44225 · re-entered March 20, 2024
- SPARC-1 · NORAD 44226 · re-entered June 26, 2023
- Harbinger · NORAD 44229 · re-entered March 9, 2024
Electron 6 Kick Stage · re-entered September 15, 2023
Electron 6 Stage 2 · re-entered May 17, 2019
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
The mission has been procured by the DoD Space Test Program in partnership with Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) as part of its Rapid Agile Launch Initiative .The payload consists of three satellites, SPARC-1, Falcon ODE and Harbinger, that will deployed in a precise sequence. The Space Plug and Play Architecture Research CubeSat-1 (SPARC-1) mission, sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV), is a joint Swedish-United States experiment to explore technology developments in avionics miniaturization, software defined radio systems, and space situational awareness (SSA). The Falcon Orbital Debris Experiment (Falcon ODE), sponsored by the United States Air Force Academy, will evaluate ground-based tracking of space objects. Harbinger, a commercial small satellite built by York Space Systems and sponsored by the U.S Army, will demonstrate the ability of an experimental commercial system to meet DoD space capability requirements.
Pad

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
6th launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, 2nd this year · 6th from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
43 launches from this pad · 84 from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
37 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New ZealandOpen in maps
Questions
When did That's a Funny Looking Cactus (STP-27RD) launch?
That's a Funny Looking Cactus (STP-27RD) launched on May 5, 2019. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch That's a Funny Looking Cactus (STP-27RD)?
Coverage: STP-27RD Launch - 05/05/2019. Watch the replay
What rocket launched That's a Funny Looking Cactus (STP-27RD)?
Electron, flown by Rocket Lab. Electron spec sheet
Where did That's a Funny Looking Cactus (STP-27RD) launch from?
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand.
What orbit did That's a Funny Looking Cactus (STP-27RD) reach?
AFOTEC-1, one of 5 catalogued objects, reached a 492 × 519 km orbit inclined 40.0°.
How many satellites did That's a Funny Looking Cactus (STP-27RD) launch?
3 payloads from this launch are catalogued, none of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).
![[AUTO] Electron - image](/media?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthespacedevs-prod.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2Felectron_image_20190705175640.jpeg&w=1600)