Rocket Lab’s Electron launch history (Updated 2024)

13th May 2022
Rocket Lab’s Electron launch history (Updated 2024)

Despite the increase in the number of rocket launches in recent years, there are still very few companies providing commercial services for delivering payloads to orbits, but Rocket Lab’s launcher’s place in this list is already high. Today we will talk about one of the private market leaders – Rocket Lab – and discuss its Electron rocket launch statistics as well as Rocket Lab launch dates so far.

12 years long way to Orbit

The aerospace company Rocket Lab was founded in 2006 by New Zealand engineer Peter Beck, who to this day is its permanent CEO and technical director. Initially, the company was developing the Atea sounding rocket. The carrier had a height of 6m, a weight of 60kg, and could only lift a 2kg payload. The first Rocket Lab launch took place in 2009 from one of Mercury’s private islands off the coast of New Zealand. The rocket passed along a suborbital trajectory, and the landed parts were never retrieved or searched for. The launch was considered a success, and Atea has never been launched again, as its task was considered complete. Still, Rocket Lab caught the eye of the US government.

In December 2010, the company received a contract under the NASA program for the operational deployment of tactical space systems to develop a means of delivering nanosatellites into orbit. This opened partial access to NASA resources, namely personnel, premises, and equipment, allowing the New Zealand startup to significantly increase its capacity and potential.

In 2013, Peter Beck re-registers the company in the US and opens headquarters in Huntington Beach, California. By that time, Rocket Lab is already receiving stable funding from American sources and commissions from the US government. And five years later, in 2018, it entered the commercial launch market with the new Electron rocket.

Small but smart

Rocket Lab’s main launcher, the Electron rocket, is an ultra-light launch vehicle with a height of 17m and a diameter of 1.2m, driven by ten proprietary Reserford engines with a power of 2.2kN each (9 in the first stage, 1 in the 2 stages). These characteristics ensure payload deliveries of up to 300kg to LEO and up to 200kg to SSO. The 3-stage modification is used to create circular satellite orbits. The Photon spacecraft for interplanetary missions can also be used as the third stage. The third stage is powered by innovative 3D printed and biofuel-powered Curie and HyperCurie engines.

The first Electron rocket launch took place on 25th May 2017 at 04:20 UTC from the Rocket Lab launch site on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. All systems worked normally. However, after the rocket reached a height of 224km, a telemetry failure occurred, and the ground command center was forced to destroy the carrier.

Next Rocket Lab’s launch, dubbed “Still testing,” (by the way, the company gives funny names to all its missions), took place on 21st January 2018, and was a complete success. Electron launched again from Mahia LC 1A launch site and delivered three CubeSats to orbit for Planet Labs and Spire Global.

Rocket Lab’s launch failures

So far, the successful series of Electron launches were interrupted only twice. During the 13th mission on 4th July 2020, due to a power failure, when the engine of the 2nd stage did not turn on, and the rocket was lost along with the payload.

The second Rocket Lab launch failure took place on 15th May 2021. The rocket veered off course and failed to complete its mission. Once again, the failure was caused by the engine of the second stage. The investigation showed that a malfunction in the engine controller led to a distortion of the signal for the thrust vector control system and, as a result, to the deviation from course.

Rocket Lab: keep moving forward

According to Peter Beck, his company is committed to providing an unprecedentedly low-cost and flexible payload launch service. So far, Rocket Lab has succeeded in this endeavour. In the commercial microlaunchers market, Rocket Lab’s launch cost is the lowest, fluctuating between 5-7 million dollars per launch.

Even though originally Electron was not intended as a reusable rocket, in August 2019, the company announced plans to recover the Electron first stage and re-launch it. On 20th October 2020, the rocket made a soft landing by parachute on a platform in the ocean.

The company wants to carry out at least 25 launches per year, so it is actively working to create new launch sites. So, in December 2019, the second Rocket Lab launchpad LC-2 in Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, MARS, Wallops, USA was officially opened. And the most recent Rocket Lab Electron launch on 28th Feb 2022 took place from Мahia, LC-1B, licensed to launch every 72 hours for 30 years.

Besides, the company has no intention of focusing solely on Electron launches. In 2021, Peter Beck announced the development of the Neutron heavy-class launch vehicle, which should compete with the latest SpaceX Starship and Blue Origin New Glenn rockets. We have compared the main features of Neutron vs Falcon rockets, as well as Neutron vs New Glenn.

It’s gonna be reusable!

In December 2019 and January 2020, the company conducted aerial tests, and on October 20, 2020, the rocket made its first splashdown into the Pacific Ocean using parachutes. After that, where it was successfully retrieved by a rescue ship. However, this was only the first step towards the main goal — the capture from the air with a helicopter.

The point is that getting into the ocean increases the risk of corrosion or damage to equipment due to contact with saltwater and significantly complicates the restoration work necessary to restart the rocket. Capturing a rocket in the air eliminates these difficulties and so reduces the launch cost.

After two more control splashdowns on May 15 and November 19, 2021, Rocket Lab finally announced that it was ready to capture the rocket by helicopter. However, for various reasons, this attempt was made only during the latest Electron Launch.

There And Back Again

On May 2, 2022, as part of the “There And Back Again” mission, Electron launched from Mahia LC 1 to deliver 34 small satellites from 6 companies to SSO. After burning through the second stage, the booster stage fired the engines to begin its descent. After passing through the dense layers of the atmosphere, the brake and main parachutes were deployed to slow the rocket’s descent to about 10 meters per second. A Sikorsky S-92 helicopter dived at an altitude of about 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) to capture a parachute line with a hook located at the end of a long boom. The pilots successfully executed this manoeuvre but were forced to release the rocket after encountering load characteristics different from the estimated ones. The rocket fell into the ocean but was successfully retrieved by a rescue ship.

Peter Beck commented in Tweeter on what happened: “Incredible catch by the recovery team, can’t begin to explain how hard that catch was and that the pilots got it. They did release it after hook up as they were not happy with the way it was flying, but no big deal, the rocket splashed down safely and the ship is loading it now.”

The company wants to carry out at least 25 launches per year, so it is working not only on making its first-stage reusable but also on creating new launch sites. So, in December 2019, the second Rocket Lab launch pad LC-2 in Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, MARS, Wallops, USA was officially opened. February 28, 2022, marked the first lift-off under Mahia, the LC-1B, license to launch every 72 hours for 30 years.

We Will Never Desert You …but not this time

In 2023, Rocket Lab strengthened its position in the launch market with 8 successful missions. Throughout three missions, the Electron booster was splashed down in the ocean, recovered, and transported to the company’s base to prepare for reuse. However, one mission failed. The rocket failed to deliver Capella Space’s Acadia SAR Earth observation satellite into orbit. Ironically, the mission was called “We will never desert you”. What happened there?

On September 19 at 18:55 local time, the Electron rocket launched safely from Pad 1 of the Mahia Island launch site in New Zealand. Two and a half minutes after launch, the planned separation of the first and second stages took place, and the single Rutherford second-stage engine ignited. However, as telemetry data showed later, the speed of the second stage began to fall. The reason was the premature shutdown of the second-stage engine as a result of a short circuit that cut the power off from the thrust vector control system engine. The Arcadia satellite was supposed to enter its intended orbit about an hour after launch but was lost due to an anomaly.

The failed launch cut short the Electron’s streak of 19 consecutive successful missions. The last time a launch vehicle crashed was in May 2021. That time, the second-stage engine also shut down prematurely due to a malfunction of the igniter, which caused a failure in the engine power controller.

The Last Rocket Lab Launch of 2023

And yet, Rocket Lab managed to finish 2023 off on a positive note. On December 15, Electron successfully launched iQPS’ search and rescue SAR Earth observation satellite into LEO. The mission was called The Moon God Awakens. Thus, Peter Beck’s company was completely exonerated from the previous failure.

To be continued…

Rocket Lab’s launch schedule from 2018 till 2022

The very beginning: 2017 and 2018

Flight No.

Name

Date/time

(UTC)

Launch site

Payload

Payload mass

Destination

Customer(s)

Launch outcome

Booster recovery

1

“It’s a Test”

25 May 2017, 04:20

Mahia, LC-1A

None

None

500 km, 85° LEO

Rocket Lab (flight test)

Failure

No attempt

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), the telemetry feed to the range safety officer was lost and the rocket was destroyed by range safety officer. Post-flight analysis determined the issue to be a simple ground software failure rather than a problem with the rocket. The ground software issue was found to be a contractor’s failure to enable forward error correction on their hardware leading to data corruption. Rocket Lab made no changes to the Electron vehicle and instead implemented adjustment to procedures to prevent similar problems.

2

“Still Testing”

21 January 2018, 01:43

Mahia, LC-1A

  • Dove Pioneer
  • Lemur-2 × 2
  • Humanity Star

13 kg (29 lb)

LEO

  • Planet Labs
  • Spire Global

Success

No attempt

Carrying CubeSats for Planet Labs and Spire Global. 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. Between December 2017 and January 2018 the launch was delayed six times due to weather, orbital traffic, rocket, and range safety issues. 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).

3

“It’s Business Time”

11 November 2018, 03:50

Mahia, LC-1A

  • Lemur-2 × 2
  • CICERO
  • IRVINE01
  • NABEO
  • Proxima × 2

Approx 45 kilograms (99 lb)

500 km, 85° LEO

  • Spire Global
  • GeoOptics
  • Irvine CubeSat STEM Program
  • High Performance Space Structure Systems
  • Fleet Space Technologies

Success

No attempt

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, by a few days after a ground tracking antenna issue in the Chatham Island tracking station and indefinitely after another motor controller issue. In October 2018, a nine-day launch window was announced starting 11 November 2018.

4

“This One’s For Pickering”

16 December 2018, 06:33

Mahia, LC-1A

  • ELaNa-19
    • ALBus
    • CeREs
    • CHOMPTT
    • CubeSail
    • DaVinci
    • ISX
    • NMTSat
    • RSat-P
    • Shields-1
    • STF-1
  • SHFT 2
  • TOMSat EagleScout
  • TOMSat R3

78 kg (172 lb)

500 km, 85° LEO

NASA

Success

No attempt

Multiple CubeSats for the NASA-sponsored ELaNa-19 mission. They were deployed from RailPOD dispensers. Was the first NASA mission for Rocket Lab.

The year 2019

Flight

No.

Name

Date/time

(UTC)

Launch site

Payload

Payload Mass

Destination

Customer(s)

Launch outcome

Booster recovery

11

“Birds of a Feather”

31 January 2020, 02:56

Mahia, LC-1A

NROL-151

Classified

590 km x 610 km, 70.9° LEO

National Reconnaissance Office

Success

Controlled (atmosphere test)

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.

12

“Don’t Stop Me Now”

13 June 2020,

05:12:12

Mahia, LC-1A

  • Classified payloads x 3 (USA-301, 302, 303) (NRO)
  • ANDESITE
  • RAAF M2PF (Pathfinder)

Classified

LEO

NRO, Boston University / NASA and University of New South Wales Canberra Space and the Royal Australian Air Force.

Success

No attempt

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. Rocket Lab does not plan to do any recovery testing. Flight delayed due to COVID-19. A launch attempt on 11 June 2020 was canceled due to bad weather. 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.

13

“Pics or it didn’t happen”

4 July 2020

21:19:36

Mahia, LC-1A

  • CE-SAT-IB
  • SuperDove x 5
  • Faraday 1

Approx. 75 kg (165 lb)

LEO

  • Canon Electronics
  • Planet Labs
  • In-Space Missions

Failure

No attempt

Flight No. 13’s name was “Pics Or It Didn’t Happen”. The 5 SuperDoves were part of Planet’s Flock 4e. Flight failed during 2nd stage burn. 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. No changes were made to the vehicle but changes were made to “work instructions and quality signoffs”.

14

“I Can’t Believe It’s Not Optical”

31 August 2020

03:05:47

Mahia, LC-1A

  • Sequoia
  • Photon (First Light)

100 kg

LEO

Capella Space

Success

No attempt

Return to flight of Electron after the 4 July 2020 launch failure. Launch of a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite, for global imagery. Also launched the Photon satellite bus.

15

“In Focus”

28 October 2020

21:21:27

Mahia, LC-1A

  • SuperDove x 9
  • CE-SAT-IIB

 

LEO

  • Planet Labs
  • Spaceflight, Inc. for Canon Electronics

Success

No attempt

After satellite deployed kick stage changed orbital inclination.

16

“Return To Sender”

20 November 2020

02:20:01

Mahia, LC-1A

  • Dragracer A
  • Dragracer B
  • BRO-2
  • BRO-3
  • APSS-1 (Te Waka Āmiorangi o Aotearoa) (Auckland Program for Space Systems)
  • SpaceBEE x 24
  • Gnome Chompski (mass simulator)

200 kg

LEO

  • TriSept Corp.
  • UnseenLabs
  • Te Pūnaha Ātea – Auckland Space Institute, The University of Auckland
  • Swarm Technologies
  • Gabe Newell

Success

Success (Ocean landing)

First Electron to attempt a soft ocean landing by parachute with the booster and recovery by vessel.

17

“The Owl’s Night Begins”

15 December 2020

10:09:27

Mahia, LC-1A

StriX-α

150 kg

500 km, 97.3° SSO

Synspective

Success

No attempt

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.

2020 was also eventful

Flight

No.

Name

Date/time

(UTC)

Launch site

Payload

Payload Mass

Destination

Customer(s)

Launch outcome

Booster recovery

18

“Another One Leaves The Crust”

20 January 2021

07:26:00

Mahia, LC-1A

GMS-T

~50 kg

LEO

OHB

Success

No attempt

Dedicated mission for OHB, the launch occurred six months after the contract signing with Rocket Lab and OHB.

19

“They Go Up So Fast”

22 March 2021

22:30

Mahia, LC-1A

  • BlackSky Global 9
  • Centauri 3
  • Myriota 7
  • Veery Hatchling
  • RAAF-M2 A, B
  • Gunsmoke-J
  • Photon (Pathstone)

Unknown

LEO

  • BlackSky via Spaceflight Inc.
  • Fleet Space
  • Myriota
  • Care Weather Technologies
  • University of New South Wales Canberra Space
  • (USASMDC)
  • Rocket Lab

Success

No attempt

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 2023.

20

“Running Out Of Toes”

15 May 2021

11:11

Mahia, LC-1A

BlackSky-10, BlackSky-11

120 kg

LEO

BlackSky via Spaceflight Industries, Inc.

Failure

Success (Ocean landing)

Second launch to attempt booster recovery (via ocean landing), using an advanced heat shield based on lessons learned from the first recovered Electron booster. First of four 2021 launches to carry two BlackSky Global Gen 2 satellites. 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.

21

“It’s A Little Chile Up Here”

29 July 2021

06:00

Mahia, LC-1A

Monolith

Unknown

LEO

U.S. Space Force

Success

No attempt

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. 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.

22

“Love At First Insight”

18 November 2021

01:38:13

Mahia, LC-1A

BlackSky-14, BlackSky-15

120 kg

LEO

BlackSky via Spaceflight Inc.

Success

Success (Ocean landing)

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.

23

“A Data With Destiny”

9 December 2021 00:02

Mahia, LC-1A

BlackSky-12 Gen-2, BlackSky-13 Gen-2

120 kg

LEO

BlackSky via Spaceflight Inc.

Success

No attempt

Third of four launches to carry two BlackSky Global Gen 2 satellites in 2021. This mission set a new turnaround record between Electron launches at just 20 days.

Rocket Lab launches in 2021

Flight

No.

Name

Date/time

(UTC)

Launch site

Payload

Payload Mass

Destination

Customer(s)

Launch outcome

Booster recovery

24

“The Owls Night Continues”

28 February 2022

20:35

Mahia, LC-1B

StriX-β

~150 kg

SSO

Synspective

Success

No attempt

Inaugural launch from Launch Complex 1 Pad B. First of three dedicated launches for Synspective’s StriX constellation.

25

“Without Mission A Beat”

2 April 2022

12:41

Mahia, LC-1A

BlackSky-14 Gen-2, BlackSky-15 Gen-2

~120 kg

LEO

BlackSky via Spaceflight Inc.

Success

No attempt

Last of four launches to carry two BlackSky Global Gen 2 satellites in 2021 and 2022.

26

“There And Back Again”

2 May 2022

22:49

Mahia, LC-1A

  • TRSI-2 & TRSI-3
  • MyRadar-1
  • Unicorn-2
  • Copia
  • AuroraSat-1
  • E-Space Demo (3 satellites)
  • SpaceBEE (24 satellites)
  • BRO-6

Unknown

SSO

  • Alba Orbital
  • Astrix Astronautics
  • Aurora Propulsion Technologies
  • E-Space
  • Swarm Technologies via Spaceflight Inc.
  • UnseenLabs

Success

Partial failure (aerial capture)

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.

Rocket Lab launches scheduled for 2022

 

Flight

No.

Name

Date/time

(UTC)

Launch site

Payload

Payload Mass

Destination

Customer(s)

Launch outcome

Booster recovery

24

“The Owl’s Night Continues”

28 February 2022

20:37

Mahia, LC-1B

StriX-β

~150 kg

561 km, 97° SSO

Synspective

Success

No

attempt

Inaugural launch from Launch Complex 1 Pad B. First of three dedicated launches for Synspective’s StriX constellation.

25

“Without Mission A Beat”

2 April 2022

12:41

Mahia, LC-1A

BlackSky-14 Gen-2, BlackSky-15 Gen-2

~120 kg

430 km, 53° LEO

BlackSky via Spaceflight Inc.

Success

No attempt

          Last of four launches to carry two BlackSky Global Gen 2 satellites in 2021 and 2022.

26

“There And Back Again”

2 May 2022

22:49

Mahia, LC-1A

TRSI-2 & TRSI-3

MyRadar-1

Unicorn-2

Copia

AuroraSat-1

E-Space Demo (3 satellites)

SpaceBEE (24 satellites)

BRO-6

Unknown

520 km, 94° SSO

Alba Orbital

Astrix Astronautics

Aurora Propulsion Technologies

E-Space

Swarm Technologies via Spaceflight Inc.

Unseen Labs

Success

Partial failure (aerial capture)

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.

27

CAPSTONE

28 June 2022

09:55

Mahia, LC-1B

CAPSTONE

Photon

80 kg

TLI to NRHO

NASA

Rocket Lab

Success

No

attempt

Capstone is a CubeSat mission that serves as a precursor for the planned Lunar Gateway. It used Rocket Lab Photon spacecraft to place CAPSTONE on a trans-lunar trajectory. CAPSTONE moved into a near-rectilinear halo orbit after separation from Photon. 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. As of February 2023, Capstone  continues to orbit the moon and fulfill its mission.

28

“Wise One Looks Ahead”.

13 July 2022

06:30

Mahia, LC-1A

NROL-162 (RASR-3)

Classified

620 km, 40° LEO

NRO

Success

No

attempt

First of two “Responsive Space Missions” NRO launches. Back to back launches between Pad A and B

29

“Antipodean Adventure”

4 August 2022

05:00

Mahia, LC-1B

NROL-199 (RASR-4)

Classified

620 km, 70°LEO

NRO

Success

No

attempt

Second of two “Responsive Space Missions” NRO launches. Back to back launches between Pad A and B

30

“The Owl Spreads Its Wings”

15 September 2022

20:38

Mahia, LC-1B

StriX-1

~100 kg

563 km, 97°SSO

Synspective

Success

No

attempt

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

31

“It Argos Up From Here”

7 October 2022

17:09

Mahia, LC-1B

GAzelle (Argos-4)

118 kg

750 km 98° SSO

NOAA / CNES

Success

No

attempt

First launch for General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems. The GAzelle satellite carries the Argos-4 Advanced Data Collection System hosted payload

32

“Catch Me If You Can”

4 November 2022

17:27

Mahia, LC-1B

MATS

50 kg

585 km, 97.66° SSO

SNSA & OHB Sweden

Success

Partial failure (aerial capture)

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

 

Launches of 2023

Flight

No.

Name

Date/time

(UTC)

Launch site

Payload

Payload Mass

Destination

Customer(s)

Launch outcome

Booster recovery

33

“Virginia Is For Launch Lovers”

24 January 2023

23:00

MARS, LC-2

HawkEye 360 Cluster 6 (3 satellites)

40 kg

550 km, 40.5° LEO

HawkEye 360

Success

No attempt

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

34

“Stronger Together”

16 March 2023 22:39

MARS, LC-2

Capella 9, Capella 10

224 kg

600 km, 44° LEO

Capella Space

Success

No attempt

Dedicated launch for Capella Space.

35

“The Beat Goes On”

24 March 2023 09:14]

Mahia, LC-1B

BlackSky-18 Gen-2, BlackSky 19 Gen-2

~120 kg

450 km, 42° LEO

BlackSky via Spaceflight Inc.

Success

Success (Ocean landing)

Dedicated launch for BlackSky.

36

“Rocket Like A Hurricane”

8 May 2023 01:00

Mahia, LC-1B

TROPICS × 2

10 kg

550 km, 32° LEO

NASA

Success

No

attempt

First of two TROPICS missions awarded to Rocket Lab after a prior mission awarded to competing launch provider Astra failed to orbit The TROPICS mission consists of four (formerly six) CubeSats intended for two (formerly three) low-Earth orbital 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.

37

“Coming to a Storm Near You”

26 May 2023 03:46

Mahia, LC-1B

TROPICS × 2

10 kg

550 km, 32° LEO

NASA

Success

No attempt

Second of two TROPICS missions awarded to Rocket Lab after a prior mission awarded to competing launch provider Astra failed to orbit.

38

“Baby Come Back”

18 July 2023 01:27

Mahia, LC-1B

LEO 3

Lemur-2 × 2

Starling × 4

~86 kg]

1000 km, 99.45° SSO

Telesat

Spire Global

NASA

Success

Success (Ocean landing)

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

39

“We Love The Nightlife”

23 August 2023 23:45

Mahia, LC-1B

Acadia 1

~165 kg

640 km, 53° LEO

Capella Space

Success

Success (Ocean landing)

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”

40

“We Will Never Desert You”

19 September 2023 06:55

Mahia, LC-1B

Acadia 2

~165 kg

640 km, 53° LEO

Capella Space

Failure

No attempt

Second of four dedicated launches for Capella Space with Acadia satellites. 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 the phenomenon of Paschen’s law in T+151 to T+152.66 seconds.

41

“The Moon God Awakens”

15 December 2023 04:05

Mahia, LC-1B

QPS-SAR-5 (TSUKUYOMI-I)

~100 kg

575 km, 42° LEO

iQPS

Success

No attempt

Dedicated launch for iQPS that placed one satellite into a circular 575 km low-Earth orbit (LEO) at 42° inclination. The mission  deployed one ~100 kg synthetic aperture radar satellite to join the existing fleet of three QPS-SAR satellites. This launch marks the first launch of iQPS’ SAR satellite with Rocket Lab.

The most anticipated upcoming Electron rocket launches in 2024

This year, Rocket Lab has ambitious plans to execute a minimum of 10 space missions, collaborating with both longstanding partners and new organisations. The following entities have chosen to rely on the expertise of the New Zealand-based private operator for the successful delivery of their payloads into orbit. Discover the most captivating missions handpicked by our team.

NASA Prefire

The Prefire mission, in collaboration with NASA, is strategically designed to contribute to the ongoing research on rising sea levels and melting ice sheets. Starting in May 2024, Rocket Lab is set to execute two Electron launches as part of this initiative.

Each mission entails deploying a CubeSat 6U into a 525 km circular orbit, focusing on observing the Earth’s surface surrounding the Arctic and Antarctica in the infrared spectrum. The data gathered by PREFIRE will play a pivotal role in developing predictive models to better understand the impact of global warming on sea-cover levels.

These enhanced climate models are anticipated to provide more precise forecasts regarding crucial factors such as hurricane strength and frequency, as well as predictions for coastal erosion and flooding. Both Prefire satellites are expected to remain operational in orbit for a minimum of 10 months.

Kinéis

Kinéis, a leading Global Internet of Things (IoT) service provider, has chosen Peter Beck’s company for a series of 5 missions aimed at deploying a constellation of 25 nanosatellites, each weighing around 30kg. These cutting-edge nanosatellites seamlessly integrate IoT technology with the Automatic Identification System (AIS), focusing primarily on vessel tracking.

Currently, Kinéis manages an extensive network of 80,000 Argos beacons that monitor wildlife and fisheries, collecting crucial data on Earth’s climate and environment via CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites), an international provider of global space solutions. The data obtained are also widely used by CNES, NOAA and ISRO. The upcoming constellation of nanosatellites promises to scale Kinéis’s capabilities significantly, providing more accurate data across these vital niches.

Rocket Lab places its confidence in the Electron Kick Stage’s proven performance. The Kick Stage is poised to deliver each Kinéis constellation satellite precisely to their orbital planes at an altitude of 650 kilometres, translating to substantial cost savings for the customer and enabling the swift commencement of full constellation operations. The launch of the first 5 satellites is scheduled for June. If all goes well, Kinéis and Rocket Lab are planning to complete the constellation deployment by the end of 2024.

NASA ACS3

NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) is designed to test cutting-edge sail boom materials in Earth’s orbit. The mission involves deploying a solar sail, equivalent in size to a small flat, from the compact 0.4 by 1.2-meter Electron kick stage. Successful testing of these innovative materials will pave the way for the construction of significantly larger solar sails. It’s anticipated to launch in the first half of 2024. 

Stay updated on Rocket Lab’s latest missions by following this page!

Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Related Articles

Explore Orbital Today