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Rocket LabElectronRocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
The Owl's Night Begins (StriX-α)
Launched
December 15, 2020
Summary
The Owl's Night Begins (StriX-α) launched on a Rocket Lab Electron from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand on December 15, 2020. It was Rocket Lab's 17th launch, 7th this year and humanity's 6,030th orbital launch attempt. It was the 17th Electron flight and the 7th this year. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). StriX-Alpha, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 496 × 518 km orbit inclined 97.4°. 3 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- Electron The Owl's Night Begins Full FlightThe Space Devs
- Rocket Lab - The Owl's Night Begins Launch 12/15/2020Rocket Lab
- Vehicle
- Electron · Rocket Lab
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)
- Milestone
- 17th Electron flight · 7th this yearRocket Lab's 17th launch7th this yearhumanity's 6,030th orbital launch attempt108th orbital launch attempt this year
Webcast
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
StriX-Alpha · NORAD 47253 · 2020-098 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 3 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 2020-098A
- Epoch
- 2020-12-15 11:22:59 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.21911606 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0015729
- Inclination
- 97.388°
- Ascending node
- 242.0406°
- Arg. of perigee
- 289.9874°
- Mean anomaly
- 195.3873°
- 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: SSO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
3 catalogued: 1 payload, 2 rocket stages; none still in orbit
- StriX-Alpha · NORAD 47253 · re-entered October 27, 2023
Electron 17 Kick Stage · re-entered January 10, 2024
Electron 17 Stage 2 · re-entered December 28, 2020
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
StriX-α is a demonstration mission for Japanese company Synspective which plans to deploy a constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites. For this mission, Rocket Lab will utilize a custom expanded fairing to encompass Synspective’s wide-body satellite – the first use of the expanded fairing options that Rocket Lab recently introduced.
Related page: The Owl's Night BeginsRelated page: www.rocketlabusa.com
Pad
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
17th launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, 7th this year · 17th 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
25 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New ZealandOpen in maps
Updates
Questions
When did The Owl's Night Begins (StriX-α) launch?
The Owl's Night Begins (StriX-α) launched on December 15, 2020. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch The Owl's Night Begins (StriX-α)?
Coverage: Electron The Owl's Night Begins Full Flight; Rocket Lab - The Owl's Night Begins Launch 12/15/2020. Watch the replay
What rocket launched The Owl's Night Begins (StriX-α)?
Electron, flown by Rocket Lab. Electron spec sheet
Where did The Owl's Night Begins (StriX-α) launch from?
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand.
What orbit did The Owl's Night Begins (StriX-α) reach?
StriX-Alpha, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 496 × 518 km orbit inclined 97.4°.
How many satellites did The Owl's Night Begins (StriX-α) launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, no longer in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).