Electron: next launch, record and specs
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. It is also used as a suborbital testbed (called HASTE) for hypersonics research.
Record
97 launches, 93 successful (95.9%), 56 successes in a row. Landings: 7 of 9.
Upcoming Electron launches
- We're Not Hawking Around (3x HawkEye 360): Electron, Rocket Lab. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 (time not set), from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand.
- The Sea God Surveys (iQPS Launch 9): Electron, Rocket Lab. Wed, 4 Nov 2026 (time not set), from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand.
- The Mountain God Rises (iQPS Launch 10): Electron, Rocket Lab. Tue, 10 Nov 2026 (time not set), from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand.
Specifications
- Maker: Rocket Lab
- First flight: 2017-05-25
- Height: 18 m
- Diameter: 1.2 m
- Payload to low Earth orbit: 300 kg
- Reusable: No