The “Get the Hawk Outta Here” mission saw Rocket Launch juggle four satellites into orbit around Earth on June 27, marking yet another mission on the start-up’s 2025 calendar. The Electron rocket — loaded with three radio-frequency tracking microsatellites and a technology demonstrating payload — lifted off from Pad-A in Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, at 1:28 p.m. EDT (1728 GMT). The launch is to aid Virginia-based geospatial analytics company Hawkeye 360 with its pursuit to broaden radio-frequency intelligence gathering.
Rocket Lab Launches Cluster 12 RF Satellites for Hawkeye 360, Eyes More Missions in 2025
As per the Rocket Lab’s official mission brief, the three working satellites are designed to help Hawkeye 360 triangulate radio signals across the world. Such spacecraft would fill gaps in coverage and provide radio frequency analytics data in near real time from areas of strategic interest. The fourth payload, Kestrel-0A, is a technology demonstrator meant to test advanced capabilities and future enhancements for the Hawkeye constellation.
Rocket Lab has committed to launching a total of 15 satellites across three missions for Hawkeye 360. This mission is themed “Virginia Is For Launch Lovers” and is Electron’s first mission from U.S. soil following the company’s first launch from Wallops Island in January 2023. This latest mission signifies the 67th overall Electron launch and the ninth of 2025 in a sign of the company’s increasing launch cadence.
All satellites were placed into a polar low Earth orbit at about 320 miles (520 km) altitude, ideal for cross-cutting the Earth and thus ensuring fast revisits and high signal collection. Electron’s payload fairings also did their job, protecting the satellites as they lifted off, then releasing them into orbit with pinpoint accuracy.
In its roadmap, Rocket Lab has at least six additional launches this year, and all eyes are on its upcoming reusable Neutron rocket. The company also operates a suborbital Electron variant, HASTE, which serves as a testbed for hypersonic and defence technologies. The latest launch further solidifies Rocket Lab’s position in the small satellite deployment market.
