Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Rocket Lab Test Flight 1: View from the rocket #ItsaTest

Attribution: Rocket Lab USA These images are copyright works owned by Rocket Lab. You are permitted to access, view, copy, download and publish these images ...

Rocket Lab Test Flight 1: Launch Pad (Medium-angle)

Attribution: Rocket Lab USA These images are copyright works owned by Rocket Lab. You are permitted to access, view, copy, download and publish these images ...

Rocket Lab Test Flight 1: Wide-angle view of launch pad, tracking antennae

Attribution: Rocket Lab USA These images are copyright works owned by Rocket Lab. You are permitted to access, view, copy, download and publish these images ...

Maiden flight of the Electron Rocket #ItsATest

On May 24th, 2017 at 04:23 UTC Rocket Labs launched their first rocket: Electron from Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. It was the firs...

It's a Test - Lift Off!

Get YouTube without the ads

Rocket Lab Test Flight 1: View from base of launch pad

Attribution: Rocket Lab USA These images are copyright works owned by Rocket Lab. You are permitted to access, view, copy, download and publish these images ...

It's a Test

It's a Test was the first launch of Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle. When Electron lifted-off at 16:20 NZT from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand, it became the first orbital-class rocket launched from from a private launch site.

It's a Test

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Test Flight

Low Earth Orbit Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand #ItsaTest

This is the first test flight of the Electron rocket. Built and operated by Rocket Lab, Electron is meant to offer low-price launches for the small-sat market.

Electron

Family: Electron
Configuration:

Electron is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle (with an optional third stage) developed by the American aerospace company Rocket Lab. Electron is a small-lift launch vehicle designed to launch small satellites and cubesats to sun-synchronous orbit and low earth orbit. The Electron is the first orbital class rocket to use electric-pump-fed engines, powered by the 9 Rutherford engines on the first stage.

See Electron Details
Specifications
  • Minimum Stage
    2
  • Max Stage
    3
  • Length
    18.0 m
  • Diameter
    1.2 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    1.2 m
  • Launch Mass
    13 T
  • Thrust
    162 kN
Family
  • Name
    Electron
  • Family
    Electron
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Electron
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $6000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    300 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    225 kg

Rocket Lab Ltd

Circle Image
CEO: Peter Beck Founded: 2006 Successes: 32 Failures: 3 Pending: 15

Agency Type: Commercial

Rocket Lab is an American aerospace manufacturer with a wholly owned New Zealand subsidiary. The company develops lightweight, cost-effective commercial rocket launch services. The Electron Program was founded on the premise that small payloads such as CubeSats require dedicated small launch vehicles and flexibility not currently offered by traditional rocket systems. Its rocket, the Electron, is a light-weight rocket and is now operating commercially. Electron currently launches from only Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand however a second launch complex in the US is under development.

INFO WIKI

Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 7 hours ago
Starlink Group 5-10
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 56 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2-1v
Success
1 day, 7 hours ago
Kosmos 2568 (EO MKA-4)
43/4 (43R) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identity uncertain. Russian reconnaissance satellite of unknown purposes, possibly in the same series as Kosmos 2551, 2555 and 2560.


Shavit-2
Success
2 days, 4 hours ago
Ofek-13
Unknown Pad - Palmachim Airbase, State of Israel

Ofek is a series of Israeli reconnaissance satellites. Ofek-13 is an Israeli SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) reconnaissance satellite that combines hi…


LVM-3 (GSLV Mk III)
Success
4 days, 23 hours ago
OneWeb 18
Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad - Sriharikota, Republic of India

A batch of 36 satellites for the OneWeb satellite constellation, which is intended to provide global Internet broadband service for individual consum…


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 11 hours ago
Starlink Group 5-5
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 56 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Electron
Success
6 days, 18 hours ago
The Beat Goes On
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Payload consists of 2 second generation Earth-imaging satellites for BlackSky. They are part of a constellation of 60 Low Earth Orbit Earth imagin…


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
1 week ago
Kosmos 2567 (Bars-M No. 4)
43/3 (43L) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identity uncertain. Bars-M is the second incarnation of the Bars project, which was started in the mid 1990ies to develop a success…


Terran 1
Failure
1 week ago
Good Luck, Have Fun (Maiden Flight)
Launch Complex 16 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Maiden launch of the Terran 1 rocket developed by Relativity Space.


Kuaizhou
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Tianmu-1 03-06
Unknown Pad - Jiuquan, People's Republic of China

Small meteorology research satellites using GNSS radio occultation by CASIC subsidiary Xiyong Microelectronics Park. 01 & 02 were launched on Gala…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 6 days ago
SES-18 & SES-19
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

SES-18 & SES-19 are two communications satellites built by Northrop Grumman.