[[Home|🏠]] <span style="color: LightSlateGray">></span> <span class="no-hover">[[Launches]]</span> <span style="color: LightSlateGray">></span> 033 - Virginia is for Launch Lovers
>[!success] Mission Success
>[!summary]
The “Virginia is for Launch Lovers” mission was Rocket Lab's **first [[Electron]] launch from[[ Launch Complex 2]]** at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within [[NASA]]’s [[Wallops Flight Facility]] – a launch pad developed to support Electron missions from U.S. soil for government and commercial customers.
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The mission deployed three satellites for [[HawkEye 360]], a radio frequency geospatial analytics company, to a 550km low Earth orbit at 18:00 ET on January 24, 2023.
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Launch Complex 2 supplements Rocket Lab’s existing site, Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, from which 32 Electron missions have already launched. This extensive launch heritage already makes Electron the most frequently launched small orbital rocket globally, and now with two launch complexes combined, Rocket Lab can support more than 130 launch opportunities every year, delivering unmatched flexibility for rapid, responsive launch for government and commercial satellite operators. The launch pad and production complex for Rocket Lab’s large reusable Neutron launch vehicle will also be located at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, streamlining operations across small and large launch.
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[📸 Mission Photo Album](https://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketlab/albums/72177720302855243/)
#electron #launch #success
| **Mission Name** | Virginia is for Launch Lovers |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Launch Date** | 2023-01-24 23:00 |
| **Outcome** | âś… Success |
| **Customer** | [[HawkEye 360]] |
| **Location** | [[Launch Complex 2#Launch Pad 0C]] |
| **Vehicle** | [[Electron]] |
| **Orbit Type** | [[🌍 Orbits#LEO]] |
| **Target Orbit** | 550 km | 40.5° |
| **Payload Mass** | 90 kg |
| **Recovery** | No Attempt |
| **Mission Link** | [Virginia is for Launch Lovers](https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/missions-launched/new-mission-page-2/) |
| **Press Kit** | [Press Kit PDF](https://rocketlabcorp.com/assets/Uploads/Virginia-is-for-Launch-Lovers-Press-Kit6.pdf) |
![[Pasted image 20250406140613.png|300]]
## 📦 Payload
x3 [[HawkEye 360#🛰️ Space Systems#Hawk Satellite|Hawk Satellites]]
![[HawkEye 360#🛰️ Space Systems#Hawk Satellite|Hawk Satellites]]
## 📽️ Launch Video
<div class="responsive-video">
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y8XAKyLndD8" title="Rocket Lab's Electron - Virginia is for Launch Lovers Mission" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
## đź“° News
%%DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: start
```
table published as "Published"
from "News"
where contains(mission, [[033 - Virginia is for Launch Lovers]])
sort published desc
```
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| File | Published |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- |
| [[News/Rocket Lab Successfully Launches First Electron Mission from U.S. Soil.md\|Rocket Lab Successfully Launches First Electron Mission from U.S. Soil]] | January 24, 2023 |
| [[News/Rocket Lab Sets New Date for First Electron Launch From U.S. Soil.md\|Rocket Lab Sets New Date for First Electron Launch From U.S. Soil]] | January 11, 2023 |
| [[News/Rocket Lab Reschedules First U.S. Launch for January 2023, Provides Updates on Effect to Prior Q4 Guidance.md\|Rocket Lab Reschedules First U.S. Launch for January 2023, Provides Updates on Effect to Prior Q4 Guidance]] | December 19, 2022 |
| [[News/Rocket Lab Prepares to Launch First Mission from Wallops Island.md\|Rocket Lab Prepares to Launch First Mission from Wallops Island]] | December 17, 2022 |
| [[News/Rocket Lab Completes Final Launch Rehearsal Ahead of First Electron Mission from U.S. Soil.md\|Rocket Lab Completes Final Launch Rehearsal Ahead of First Electron Mission from U.S. Soil]] | November 21, 2022 |
| [[News/Rocket Lab Announces Launch Window for Inaugural Electron Mission from Launch Complex 2 in Virginia.md\|Rocket Lab Announces Launch Window for Inaugural Electron Mission from Launch Complex 2 in Virginia]] | November 09, 2022 |
| [[News/Electron Rocket Arrives at Launch Complex 2 for Rocket Lab’s Inaugural Mission from Virginia.md\|Electron Rocket Arrives at Launch Complex 2 for Rocket Lab’s Inaugural Mission from Virginia]] | October 12, 2022 |
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