Rocket Lab has reached the milestone of its 50th launch of its Electron rocket in record time.
The Electron rocket lifted off from Pad B at Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, at 2:13 pm EDT (18:13 GMT, 6:13 am New Zealand time on June 21) on June 20. The rocket was operating within an immediate launch window, but launched at the first opportunity of its 14-day launch window.
The mission, named “No Time Toulouse” by Rocket Lab, is carrying five satellites from Kinéis, an Internet of Things (IoT) satellite connectivity provider, which were deployed one after the other in precise sequence, completing their deployment today as scheduled, approximately one hour and six minutes after liftoff.
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launches from New Zealand on June 20, 2024, carrying five satellites for French IoT company Kineis. (Image credit: Rocket Lab)
“The 50th Electron launch mission was a success! Welcome to orbit, @KineisIoT. Congratulations to the entire Rocket Lab team for achieving their 50th launch faster than any other commercially developed rocket. Thank you to our many customers who have helped us revolutionize access to orbit for small satellites aboard Electron,” Rocket Lab said via X shortly after today’s launch.
The 50th Electron launch mission was a success! Welcome to orbit, @KineisIoT. Congratulations to the entire Rocket Lab team for reaching our 50th launch faster than any other commercially developed rocket. Thanks to our many customers who have flown aboard Electron and supported us… pic.twitter.com/7ySqmc6cjbJune 20, 2024
Based in Toulouse, France, Kineace is backed by private and public investors, including the French space agency CNES. The mission is the first of five planned, during which Rocket Lab will put 25 satellites into orbit to complete the Kineace constellation.
No Time Toulouse marks Rocket Lab’s 50th Electron mission; its first mission in May 2017 ended in failure. Launches over the last half century have included one hypersonic accelerator ballistic test Electron launch. Prior to last year’s first launch from the United States, Electron had only been launched from New Zealand.
The milestone was achieved in record time, seven years and one month after Electron’s debut: By comparison, it took SpaceX seven years and nine months to complete 50 Falcon 9 launches, United Launch Alliance’s venerable Atlas V rocket reached the milestone in just under a decade, and Europe’s now-retired Ariane 5 took 11 years and nine months to reach the milestone.
The development and success of Electron (overcoming significant challenges along the way) has established Rocket Lab as a significant player in the small satellite launch market.
The carbon-composite rocket uses an electrically pumped Rutherford engine that burns rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX). It can carry a payload of 661 pounds (300 kilograms) to low Earth orbit, making it a popular choice for dedicated missions like “No Time Toulouse” and smaller ride-sharing missions.
Ahead of the groundbreaking launch, Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck described the accomplishment in a post on X. Beck recounted the company’s early meetings with venture capitalists and succinctly noted the challenges ahead via a potential investor’s summary of Beck’s proposal:
Getting to that first launch seemed so impossible given all the hurdles we had to overcome. As we approach our 50th launch, @Peter_J_Beck reflects on the magnitude of the challenges we faced to make Electron a reality. Luckily, we’ve never shied away from a challenge… pic.twitter.com/MnZChovpDYJune 17, 2024
“It sounded totally ridiculous. It was like, ‘So you don’t have a degree. You’re from a country that’s never put anything into orbit before. You think you can beat Richard Branson. You’re trying to build a rocket out of carbon composites, which nobody’s ever done before. You’re proposing to 3D print rocket engines, which nobody’s ever done before. And, by the way, you’re also trying to build a massive facility in another country. We’re going to get a bilateral treaty between the two countries to make that possible, and you think you can get there faster than anyone else.'”
Beck methodically went through each of these points and explained how Rocket Lab would address them, “and then they led the B round.” [of funding]” he added in X’s post.
Rocket Lab is currently working on reusing Electron’s first stage after it is pulled from the ocean after re-entry.
The company is also developing a new heavy-launch vehicle called Neutron, a play on Rocket Lab’s particle-themed name. (The company also builds a satellite bus called Photon.) This next-generation, reusable rocket is scheduled to make its first flight in mid-2025.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 3:25 p.m. ET on June 20 with news of the successful satellite deployment.