Rocket Lab launched its first launch of 2024, with the Electron launch vehicle lofting four Space Situational Awareness (SSA) satellites into low-Earth orbit from the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. Named “Four of a Kind,” Electron is lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex-1B in Māhia at 7:34 PM NZDT on Jan. 31 (06:34 UTC).
In addition to delivering the four SSA satellites, Rocket Lab used this mission for a maritime recovery of Electron’s first stage, marking the first booster recovery from Rocket Lab since the “We Love The Nightlife” mission in August of last year.