CONFIRMED: Rocket Lab has successfully completed the 98th flight of its Electron rocket, on a dedicated mission for HawkEye 360, a signals-intelligence data and analytics company. The mission, named “We’re Not Hawking Around”, lifted off from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula at 8:11 p.m. NZDT on 23 October 2026.
The flight delivered three HAWK satellites to a low Earth orbit 520 km above Earth. Flying in a three-satellite formation, they collect signal data across the radio-frequency spectrum, for maritime tracking, GNSS jamming detection, radar monitoring, communications mapping and space defence, according to the company’s official statement.
According to Rocket Lab, this was the company’s 19th mission of 2026 and the third dedicated Electron launch for HawkEye 360. The result moves the rocket closer to 100 flights, keeping it, in the company’s words, the most frequently launched dedicated small-satellite vehicle in the world.
According to AsiaToday’s coverage, the mission was rescheduled before lifting off on 23 October, after an initial attempt was called off. The official statement confirms only the success of the 23 October launch; the exact reasons for the delays were not detailed in Rocket Lab’s release.
Image credit: archive photo of an Electron rocket launch, via Wikimedia Commons. The image illustrates the vehicle, not the specific flight of 23 October 2026.
Fontes: GlobeNewswire / Rocket Lab — MISSION SUCCESS: Rocket Lab Launches 98th Electron Mission; AsiaToday — Rocket Lab Electron HawkEye 360 launch success; Space24Live — Rocket Lab Launches 3 Hawk Satellites on 98th Electron Mission.
Transparency: this article was produced with AI assistance, based on cross-checking public posts and the internet sources listed above. Please consult the original sources to confirm the details.
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