Rocket Lab Electron

Electron is a two-stage, partially recoverable orbital launch vehicle developed by Rocket Lab, an American aerospace company with a wholly owned New Zealand subsidiary. Electron was developed to service the commercial small satellite launch market. Its Rutherford engines are the first electric-pump-fed engine to power an orbital-class rocket. Electron is often flown with a kickstage or Rocket Lab's Photon spacecraft. Although the rocket is designed to be expendable, Rocket Lab has recovered the first stage twice and is working towards the capability of reusing the booster. In December 2016, Electron completed flight qualification. The first rocket was launched on 25 May 2017, reaching space but not achieving orbit due to a glitch in communication equipment on the ground, due to it still being a test flight called "It's a Test". During its second flight on 21 January 2018, Electron reached orbit and deployed three CubeSats, in a mission called "Still Testing".

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NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System To Be Deployed Via A Rocket Lab Electron Launch Vehicle

Rocket Lab Electron booster launch fails to reach orbit, 2 satellites lost