[[Home|🏠]] <span style="color: LightSlateGray">></span> <span class="no-hover">[[Launches]]</span> <span style="color: LightSlateGray">></span> 011 - Birds of a Feather
>[!success] Mission Success
>[!summary]
Rocket Lab's 11th Electron flight - Birds of a Feather - launched a dedicated mission for the United States [[National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)]]. The mission successfully lifted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 at 15:56 NZDT, 31 January 2020.
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The NRO competitively awarded the contract under the Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract vehicle. RASR allows the NRO to explore new launch opportunities that can provide a streamlined, commercial approach for getting small satellites into space.
#electron #launch #success
| **Mission Name** | Birds of a Feather |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Launch Date** | 2020-01-31 02:56 |
| **Outcome** | ✅ Success |
| **Customer** | [[National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)]] |
| **Location** | [[Launch Complex 1#Launch Pad A]] |
| **Vehicle** | [[Electron]] |
| **Orbit Type** | [[🌍 Orbits#LEO]] |
| **Target Orbit** | 400 km | 37° |
| **Payload Mass** | Classified |
| **Recovery** | Controlled (Atmosphere Test) |
| **Mission Link** | [Birds of a Feather](https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/missions-launched/birds-of-a-feather/) |
| **Press Kit** | [Press Kit PDF](https://rocketlabcorp.com/assets/Uploads/FINAL-F11-Birds-of-a-Feather-Presskit.pdf) |
## 📽️ Launch Video
<div class="responsive-video">
<iframe width="736" height="414" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/af-PplDIkbc" title="Birds Of A Feather Launch - 01/31/2020" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
## 📰 News
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where contains(mission, [[011 - Birds of a Feather]])
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| File | Published |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------- |
| [[News/Rocket Lab Successfully Deploys NRO Satellite On 11th Electron Mission.md\|Rocket Lab Successfully Deploys NRO Satellite On 11th Electron Mission]] | January 31, 2020 |
| [[News/Rocket Lab To Launch National Reconnaissance Office Mission.md\|Rocket Lab To Launch National Reconnaissance Office Mission]] | January 20, 2020 |
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