Electron is a two-stage small-lift launch vehicle built and operated by
Rocket Lab. The rocket has been launched to orbit 46 times with 42 successes and four failures. A suborbital version of the rocket, HASTE, has been successfully launched one time.
The first flight, known as "It's a Test", launched on 25 May 2017. The mission failed due to a glitch in communication equipment on the ground. Successful follow-on missions, including "Still Testing", "It's Business Time" and "This One's For Pickering", delivered multiple small payloads to
low Earth orbit. Flight 26 was the first Electron flight to attempt a full catch recovery using a mid-air helicopter catch. "Scout's Arrow" was the first suborbital launch of the rocket.
In July 2019, Rocket Lab expected to have launches every two weeks in 2020.[1] In June 2020, with a new Electron launch vehicle built every 18 days, Rocket Lab was planning to deliver monthly launches for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021, including the company's first launch from
Wallops LC-2 in 2023 and a mission to the
Moon for
NASA aboard Electron and Rocket Lab's spacecraft bus platform
Photon in 2022.[2]
The rocket successfully launched and performed first stage separation and fairing separation. After reaching an altitude of about 224 kilometres (139 mi) (planned 500 kilometres (310 mi) at 85°
inclination),[4] the telemetry feed to the range safety officer was lost and the rocket was destroyed by
range safety officer.[5][6] Post-flight analysis determined the issue to be a simple ground software failure rather than a problem with the rocket.[5] The ground software issue was found to be a contractor's failure to enable
forward error correction on their hardware leading to data corruption.[5][6] Rocket Lab made no changes to the Electron vehicle and instead implemented adjustment to procedures to prevent similar problems.[5]
Carrying
CubeSats for
Planet Labs and
Spire Global.[10] The two
Lemur-2 satellites were put into a circularized orbit by the new "Electron kick stage" which was not announced until after the launch.[11] Between December 2017 and January 2018 the launch was delayed six times due to weather, orbital traffic, rocket, and range safety issues.[12][13][14][15] Put Lemur-2 payloads into 500 km (310 mi) high orbit at 85.0°
inclination while the Dove Pioneer satellite was put into a 289 km (180 mi) x 533 km (331 mi).[4][16]
The 11 November 2018 launch was successful; all cubesats planned to be deployed were deployed in orbit. The launch, originally planned for April 2018, had been delayed several times: to June/July after unusual behavior was identified in a motor controller during a wet dress rehearsal,[17][20] by a few days after a ground tracking antenna issue in the Chatham Island tracking station[22] and indefinitely after another motor controller issue.[23][24] In October 2018, a nine-day launch window was announced starting 11 November 2018.[25]
Multiple CubeSats for the NASA-sponsored ELaNa-19 mission.[29] They were deployed from RailPOD dispensers. Was the first NASA mission for Rocket Lab.[30]
Radio Frequency Risk Reduction Deployment Demonstration (R3D2) will qualify a new type of membrane reflectarray antenna.[34]Northrop Grumman serves as the prime contractor for R3D2. Blue Canyon Technologies provided the satellite bus, MMA Design provided the antenna.[35]
Launch is part of the "Rapid Agile Launch Initiative" (RALI) for the U.S. Air Force.[38] Was first night launch of an Electron and its heaviest payload up to the time.[39]
BlackSky Global 3 is part of a constellation of Earth-observing satellites.[42][43]SpaceBEE cubesats are manufactured by
Swarm Technologies to test two-way satellite communication and data relay. SpaceBEE 8 weighs 0.4 kg (0.88 lb) while SpaceBEE 9 weighs 0.7 kg (1.54 lb).[45][46]
Breizh Recon Orbiter (BRO-1) is part of a constellation used for tracking maritime vessels. BlackSky Global 4 is part of a constellation of Earth-observing satellites. The two experimental satellites for Air Force Space Command are part of the "Pearl White" technology demonstration program.[48][49]
Palisade is a 16U CubeSat technology demonstrator satellite.[51] An upgraded, bi-propellant kick stage lifted the satellite to a 1200 km circular orbit, and then deorbited itself.[53]
ATL-1 will test new
thermal insulation in space. FossaSat-1 is a communications satellite that uses low-power radio frequencies to provide
Internet of things connectivity. NOOR-1A and NOOR-1B will demonstrate intersatellite link technology. SMOG-P will use a
spectrum analyzer to measure electromagnetic pollution. TRSI Sat will provide
flight tracking services. ALE-2 will create artificial shooting star displays.[55] The six satellites other than ALE-2 are
PocketQubes, forming Alba Cluster 2 of
Alba Orbital.
This mission also was the first guided, full telemetry re-entry of the Electron launch vehicle's first stage as part of Rocket Lab's plans to re-use and re-fly rocket boosters in future missions. Recovery instrumentation on-board this flight included guidance and navigation hardware, including
S-band telemetry and on-board flight computer systems, to live-gather data during the first stage's
atmospheric re-entry, as well as a
reaction control system to orient the booster.[56][57] After the launch Rocket Lab said that the reusability tests were successful.[58]
First launch for the
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). 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. For the second time, the Electron booster survived atmospheric re-entry. Rocket Lab again said their reusability test were successful.[60]
Part of the
ELaNa 32 mission,
ANDESITE is a satellite designed to study
Earth's magnetic field. The M2 Pathfinder satellite will be a technology demonstration satellite to test communications. The flight will also carry three payloads for the NRO.[64][65] Rocket Lab does not plan to do any recovery testing.[65] Flight delayed due to
COVID-19.[64] A launch attempt on 11 June 2020 was canceled due to bad weather.[66] ANDESITE consists of ANDESITE Mule, a 6U parent spacecraft, and ANDESITE Node 1 to Node 8, small magnetometer subsatellites to be ejected from it to study magnetospheric variation. Each Node is 0.20 x 0.10 x 0.025 m in size with a mass of 0.38 kg.[62]
Flight No. 13's name was "Pics Or It Didn't Happen".[2] The 5 SuperDoves were part of Planet's Flock 4e.[68] Flight failed during 2nd stage burn.[69][70] The issue was found to be a single faulty electrical connection that was not caught during preflight testing. The wiring was intermittently secure leading to increasing resistance causing heating and thermal expansion. This caused softening of
potting compounds around the connection leading to a disconnect. The disconnect lead to power being cut from the electric
turbopumps needed for the
Rutherford engine leading the engine to be shut down.[71] No changes were made to the vehicle but changes were made to "work instructions and quality signoffs".[72]
Test satellite weighing 150 kg (330 lb) using
synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) from a Japanese company. Part of a future constellation of 25 satellites to provide global coverage. Satellite was encompassed in an expanded fairing.[85]
During this mission, Rocket Lab deployed their 100th satellite to orbit. As well as their second
Photon satellite bus named Pathstone. Photon Pathstone will operate on orbit as a risk reduction demonstration to build spacecraft heritage ahead of Rocket Lab's mission to the Moon for NASA later this year, as well as Rocket Lab's private mission to Venus in 2025.[89]
Second launch to attempt booster recovery (via ocean landing), using an advanced heat shield based on lessons learned from the first recovered Electron booster.[95] First of four 2021 launches to carry two BlackSky Global Gen 2 satellites.[96] Second stage engine shut down early causing the mission to be lost, but Electron's first stage safely completed a successful splashdown under parachute. The investigation revealed that the second stage igniter fault induced an interference with the engine controller that caused the data signal corruption for the
thrust vector control (TVC) system, straying the vehicle off course.[97]
The launch was originally scheduled to fly from
LC-2 in Wallops in 2020, but NASA didn't certify the autonomous flight termination system (AFTS) in time.[99] Because of these delays, the launch was moved to LC-1 as the return to flight after the anomaly Electron experienced during the "Running Out Of Toes" mission in May 2021.
Second of four launches to carry two BlackSky Global Gen 2 satellites in 2021. Mission was named "Love At First Insight". The first stage booster performed a soft ocean splashdown under parachute. For the first time, a helicopter tracked and observed Electron's descent in preparation for future missions which aim to use helicopters to intercept and capture returning launch vehicle boosters mid-air as they return to Earth under parachute. The launch vehicle also flew with an advanced parachute deployed from the first stage at a higher altitude then previous recovery attempts and an improved heat shield.[103]
Third of four launches to carry two BlackSky Global Gen 2 satellites in 2021.[101] This mission set a new turnaround record between Electron launches at just 20 days.
Deployed 34 satellites for six customers. First mid-air helicopter capture attempt of an Electron first stage following launch. Electron was initially captured by the helicopter, but the pilot detected different load characteristics than previously experienced in testing and offloaded the stage for a splashdown, where it was recovered by Rocket Lab's contracted offshore vessel, Seaworker as in previous ocean landings.[108]
Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) is a
CubeSat mission that will serve as a precursor for the planned
Gateway. It used
Photon to place CAPSTONE on a trajectory to the Moon. CAPSTONE will move into a
near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) after separation from Photon.[110] Due to the heavy nature of the payload, the first stage was stripped down to its bare frame with no recovery hardware and no cameras. The recovery hardware itself takes about 10-15% of the payload mass capabilities of a given launch.[111]
Second of three dedicated launches for Synspective's StriX constellation named "The Owl Spreads Its Wings". StriX-1 is the 150th satellite deployed by Rocket Lab.[116]
Launch of MATS atmospheric research satellite for the Swedish National Space Agency. Second attempt at mid-air helicopter recovery of first stage, however due to telemetry loss from the first stage during its descent, it was not safe for the helicopter to loiter in the capture zone, so it backed off. Stage made a soft ocean landing and was recovered by Rocket Lab's contracted offshore vessel, Seaworker as in previous ocean landings.[121]
First launch from Launch Complex 2 at the
Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Wallops. Launch of the first 3 of the 15 satellites contracted with HawkEye 360.[124]
First of two
TROPICS missions awarded to Rocket Lab after a prior mission awarded to competing launch provider
Astra failed to orbit.[128] The TROPICS mission consists of four (formerly six) CubeSats intended for two (formerly three)
low-Earthorbital planes at an inclination of 30 degrees. Due to the light weight of the payload and the target orbit, the second stage completed the orbital insertion while the kick stage was used to perform a plane change burn to the target inclination.
The LEO 3 demonstration satellite will provide continuity for customer and ecosystem vendor testing campaigns following the decommissioning of Telesat's Phase 1 LEO satellite. This mission tested out new reusability technologies, including improved water sealing, a lighter parachute, and new hardware on the recovery vessel.[132]
First of four dedicated launches for Capella Space with Acadia satellites. For the first time on this mission, Rocket Lab is reusing a Rutherford engine from another mission launched in May 2022 "There And Back Again".[134]
Second of four dedicated launches for Capella Space with Acadia satellites.[134] An anomaly occurred after stage separation, which resulted in a failure to orbit. Due to a sharp change of voltage from 420V to 508V due to an arc leading to a short in the power system that is used for motor controls caused in the near vacuum of space as a result of phenomenon of
Paschen's law in T+151 to T+152.66 seconds.[137]
The satellite was previously manifested as a
LauncherOne payload. Electron launch return after launch failure due to second stage issue during the "We Will Never Desert You" mission on September 19.
The Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) satellite will rendezvous with a spent Japanese upper stage launch vehicle body in low Earth orbit and demonstrate proximity operations in preparation for a future de-orbiting mission. This mission had a near instantaneous launch window.
The NROL-123 mission, was Rocket Lab’s first launch for the NRO from the United States after previously launching four NRO missions from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula.
Second of three dedicated launches for Spire Global. (This launch is an option in the contract Spire Global signed with Rocket Lab, it is currently unknown if Spire Global will order the launches.)
Third of three dedicated launches for Spire Global. (This launch is an option in the contract Spire Global signed with Rocket Lab, it is currently unknown if Spire Global will order the launches.)
Private
Venus exploration mission, using an atmospheric-entry probe developed jointly with
MIT. A
Photon relay satellite will perform a flyby of Venus in order to relay the data from the atmospheric-entry probe.
The mission, called Space Test Program-30 (STP-S30), is a launch scheduled to take place within 24 hours from contract award[161] to demonstrate Rocket Lab's responsive space program.
Mission for SSC, Rocket Lab will build and launch a satellite for TacRS (Tactically Responsive Space). Once on orbit, the spacecraft will conduct a variety of dynamic space operations to demonstrate SDA characterization capabilities with True Anomaly’s spacecraft, the Jackal autonomous orbital vehicle.[163]
This mission will deploy a payload from
Hypersonix called DART AE, DART AE is a scramjet-powered hypersonic vehicle capable of speeds up to Mach 7. This mission will also demonstrate HASTE's direct inject capabilities. Direct inject means that the payload will be deployed while the rocket is still ascending.[167]
^"Rocket Lab Experiences Anomaly During Launch" (Press release). Auckland, New Zealand:
Rocket Lab. 16 May 2021.
Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2021. Electron's first stage safely completed a successful splashdown under parachute and Rocket Lab's recovery team is working to retrieve the stage from the ocean as planned.
^
abSheetz, Michael (28 February 2023).
"Rocket Lab quarterly revenue stays steady as space company doubles order backlog". CNBC.
Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023. Alongside its results, Rocket Lab announced a contract for four Electron launches from satellite company Capella Space. Those missions are scheduled to begin in the second half of the year.
This Template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future
Symbol † indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)