Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company and launch service provider, specializing in small satellite launches with its Electron rocket, which has launched 63 times as of April 2025. They are also developing the larger Neutron rocket for constellation deployment. Rocket Lab provides complete space solutions including satellite design and manufacture, spacecraft components, and on-orbit management, serving commercial, civil, and defense markets, with major partners including NASA and the US Space Force. Key products include the Electron and Neutron rockets, Photon satellite bus, and various satellite components.
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Increased battery efficiency allowed Rocket Lab to reduce the mass of batteries carried on Electron and increased Electron’s payload capacity to sun-synchronous orbits from 150 to 200 kg.
Rocket Lab is on track to test recovering an Electron booster later 2020.
Rocket Lab intends to attempt recovery of an Electron first stage on Flight 17, which is expected to take place later 2020.
Rocket Lab is pursuing the possibility of using Electron for interplanetary missions based on the vehicle’s improved performance.
Rocket Lab completed drop tests of a dummy Electron first stage at its New Zealand launch site that demonstrated the parachute would deploy and slow the booster after reentry.
Rocket Lab won a contract from NASA in February to launch the CAPSTONE cubesat mission to the moon.
Rocket Lab plans to resume Electron launches 2020-08 and expects to fly within 10 to 12 days of 2020-08-03.
Rocket Lab now states Electron can place 200 kg into a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit and 300 kg into lower orbits.
Rocket Lab previously promoted Electron payload capacities of 150 kg to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit and 225 kg to lower orbits.
Rocket Lab completed a $140,000,000 funding round in late 2018.
On 2020-07-31, Rocket Lab completed an investigation that concluded an anomalous electrical connection caused the failure of an Electron rocket launch nearly four weeks earlier.
After the return-to-flight mission from New Zealand, Rocket Lab will perform its first launch from Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Island, Virginia.
An internal Rocket Lab accident investigation board, working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, determined that a faulty electrical connection led to the premature shutdown of the Electron’s second-stage engine several minutes after liftoff from New Zealand on 2020-07-04 (U.S. time).
VOX Space, Aevum, Astra, X-Bow, Rocket Lab, and Space Vector were notified in June that they would collectively receive $116,000,000 in contracts to launch small satellites for the U.S. government.
On 2020-07-01 the Department of Defense withdrew the small launch contracts that would have been awarded to Aevum, Astra, X-Bow, Rocket Lab, Space Vector, and VOX Space to launch two rideshare missions over the next 24 months.
NASA awarded original VCLS contracts in October 2015 with a combined value of $17,100,000 to Firefly Space, Rocket Lab, and Virgin Galactic.
The U.S. Defense Department canceled on 2020-07-01 plans to award launch contracts to six small launch vehicle developers: Aevum, Astra, X-Bow, Rocket Lab, Space Vector, and VOX Space.
Rocket Lab carried out a VCLS launch when a Rocket Lab Electron rocket successfully launched 10 cubesats for NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and three additional payloads for other customers on a December 2018 launch.
Rocket Lab’s next Electron launch scheduled for 2020-07-05 was planned to carry commercial satellites for Canon, Planet, and In-Space Missions.
The Department of Defense selected Aevum, Astra, X-Bow, Rocket Lab, Space Vector, and VOX Space on 2020-06-16 to receive noncompetitive contracts to launch two rideshare missions for government customers over the next 24 months.