Rocket Lab launched its first successful Electron rocket to orbit in 2018.
The mission, named “It’s Business Time,” lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula on November 11, 2018. Electron successfully deployed commercial and demonstration satellites into low Earth orbit.
Electron’s first flight in May 2017, called “It’s a Test,” reached space but failed to achieve orbit after a telemetry problem led to the mission being terminated. The 2018 launch therefore became the company’s first orbital success and established Rocket Lab as an operational small-launch provider.
Electron was designed for frequent launches of small satellites. It uses liquid oxygen and kerosene, with Rutherford engines powered by electric pumps. Rocket Lab later introduced recovery experiments for Electron’s first stage, but the original vehicle was initially intended as expendable.