February 19th saw the New Zealand-based Rocket Lab, founded by Sir Peter Beck, launch its 60th Electron mission. The company specializes in launching smaller satellites, and its record to date is extraordinarily impressive. Electron is already the world’s most frequently launched small rocket annually. “Now we’re making it the world’s first reusable orbital small rocket too,” said Rocket Lab.
Electron is now the fastest commercially developed rocket to reach 60 successful missions, surpassing SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
“By reusing Electron’s first stage, the largest part of the launch vehicle, we aim to increase our already industry-leading launch cadence and further drive down launch costs,” said the company. However, Rocket Lab also has ‘Neutron’ under development which will be capable of returning the first stage to its launch site and handle up to 13 tonnes of cargo.
This 60th mission did not attempt to recover the rocket’s powerful first stage, but the plan is to equip Electron’s first stage with parachutes to slow its descent from space back to Earth, where it splashes down in the ocean for collection by marine vessels and transport back to its production complex for refurbishment, ready for the next flight.
Founded in 2006, the company has enjoyed considerable success from its New Zealand base (near Auckland on the Māhia Peninsula) but it also has a launch site at Wallops Island, Virginia.
It has enjoyed orders from NASA including one mission to bring samples back from the surface of Mars.
Its bouquet of statistics show that it has launched 210 satellites, although some of its satellite-based components including its Reaction Wheels, are present on more than 1,700 satellites.
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