Rocket Lab milestone mission from Māhia goes like clockwork

Rocket Lab's 50th Electron rocket launch at Māhia went off without a hitch yesterday at 6.13am and five satellites onboard were successfully deployed into orbit.

Rocket Lab’s 50th Electron launch went off without a hitch yesterday, successfully deploying five satellites onboard for French internet-of-things company Kinéis.

Electron has reached the milestone of 50 launches faster than any commercially developed rocket in history.

The No Time Toulouse mission deployed the five satellites to a 635-kilometre circular orbit.

The mission was the first of five dedicated Electron launches for Kinéis, which is backed by private and public investors including the French government’s space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales).

Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Sir Peter Beck said when Electron lifted off the pad for the first time in 2017 they knew they had unlocked a new era in spaceflight, “one where small satellites got to call the shots for the first time with frequent, tailored and reliable access to orbit”.

The speed at which they had reached 50 launches was “testament to the incredible team we have behind us”.

“Friday’s tailored mission for Kinéis is yet another demonstration of the value Electron continues to provide to the small sat community.”