WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab successfully launched the French startup’s first set of satellites on June 20 on the 50th flight of its Electron rocket .
Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 2:13 PM ET, carrying five Internet of Things (IoT) satellites from French company Kinéis. The satellites were deployed from Electron’s kick stage about an hour later into an orbit at an altitude of 635 km and an inclination of 98 degrees.
This launch is the first of five launches Rocket Lab will conduct for Kinéis under a contract announced in September 2021 . Each launch will place five satellites, each weighing 28 kg, into orbit, creating a constellation that will provide IoT services.
Alexandre Tisserant, president and CEO of Kinéis, said in a statement that the launch went smoothly and spacecraft controllers were currently working to coordinate the orbits of the five spacecraft. “The first five satellites in this constellation mark the beginning of the IoT revolution driven by Kinéis connectivity and offer the prospect of full commercial services,” he said.
The companies have not announced schedules for the remaining four launches included in the contract, other than Tisserant noting that the second launch is planned for “later this year.”
This launch from Rocket Lab was Electron’s 50th flight since its launch in May 2017 . Electron has emerged as the leading commercial small launch vehicle in Western markets, especially as its competitors have suffered technical or financial setbacks, ranging from launch failures to bankruptcy, and competition from larger rockets that offer ride-sharing services.
“When Electron first lifted off the launch pad in 2017, we knew we had ushered in a new era of spaceflight. For the first time, we were taking the lead in enabling small satellites to access orbit frequently, tailoredly, and reliably. It was a catchable era, and after 50 launches, Electron is the most successful commercial small rocket worldwide.” Peter Beck, Rocket Lab’s chief executive officer, said in a statement.
Rocket Lab boasted that Electron reached the milestone of 50 launches in 7 years and 1 month, more than any other commercially developed rocket. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 made its 50th launch in March 2018, seven years and nine months after its debut .
The 50 Electron launches will include a flight of a suborbital variant called HASTE in 2023. It also includes four launch failures, one due to a ground software issue that triggered the range safety system on first launch and a third due to a separate problem with the upper stage between 2020 and 2023. The Falcon 9 had one in-flight failure in its first 50 launches, and another Falcon 9 was lost during a pad test in 2016.
This launch was Electron’s eighth launch this year. Rocket Lab previously expected to conduct 22 Electron launches, including two HASTE missions, in 2024, but withdrew those forecasts in a May earnings call, citing customer delays . The company has not announced a date or customer for the next Electron mission following the Kinéis launch.