orbital launch vehicle
Electron is Rocket Lab’s small-satellite launcher, with two main stages and a Kick Stage for precise orbital delivery.
Electron is 18 m tall and 1.2 m in diameter. Rocket Lab publishes a wet mass of 13,000 kg and capability of up to 300 kg to low Earth orbit. Its structure uses carbon composites, and its main stages burn liquid oxygen and kerosene.
Nine Rutherford engines power the first stage, with 190 kN of liftoff thrust in the current product page consulted; a vacuum-optimized Rutherford equips the second. The manufacturer distinguishes two stages plus a Kick Stage. This additional unit can adjust orbits, deploy payloads and perform deorbit maneuvers. It is not another identical main stage.
Its first launch, It’s a Test, took place on 25 May 2017 from Mahia, New Zealand. The mission reached space; this must not be described as orbital insertion confirmed by that source.
HASTE is a suborbital vehicle derived from Electron, not an interchangeable alias for the orbital launcher. Performance depends on the mission: 300 kg is not guaranteed to every orbit. Atlas flight totals retain their capture date and are not a live launch counter.
Context
On June 10, 2026, NASA presented an analysis of GLIMPSE-17775, a “little red dot” whose light was magnified by the galaxy cluster Abell S1063. Th...
