Rocket Lab has successfully launched its 50th Electron mission, a significant achievement in the company's history and the space industry as a whole. The mission, named "No Time Toulouse," lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, at 2:13 PM EDT (18:13 UTC) on June 20. The rocket carried five satellites into space for Kinéis, a French company aiming to improve global IoT connectivity.
Credit: Rory Gannaway
Rocket Lab's Electron rocket has launched 185 satellites into orbit during its first 49 flights, with more than 1,700 satellites currently utilizing Rocket Lab technology. Rocket Lab reached the milestone 50th launch of its Electron rocket in record time marking a significant achievement for the company, which has overcome numerous challenges to reach this point.
The mission named "No Time Toulouse" is the first of five dedicated Electron launches for Kinéis, with the constellation expected to guarantee the transmission of targeted and useful data to users in near-real-time, with low energy consumption. The satellites will be deployed in a precise sequence to build out the constellation, enabling Kinéis to expand across multiple industries and scale from 20,000 devices connected to millions.
Rocket Lab's founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, expressed his pride in the team for bringing an industry-defining rocket to market, making frequent and reliable dedicated small launch a reality for the first time. Beck also acknowledged the support of customers who have flown on Electron since the company's first mission in 2017.
A collage showcasing all previous 49 launches of Rocket Lab's Electron Rocket Credit: Rocket Lab
The successful launch marks the 46th mission from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, and the eighth Electron mission of 2024. Rocket Lab has launched four missions from Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, USA, with a total of 190 satellites launched by Electron to date.
The company's Rutherford engines have flown 499 times, including sea level and vacuum engines, with each mission featuring ten such engines. Rocket Lab has also worked on making its first stages reusable, with the company switching to landing boosters in the ocean and recovering them using a chase boat.
Rocket Lab's achievement highlights the company's commitment to providing reliable and frequent access to space, enabling innovative technologies like Kinéis' IoT constellation to reach orbit and shape the future of space exploration.
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