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Electron

Electron is Rocket Lab's carbon-composite small orbital launch vehicle, using nine sea-level Rutherford engines, one vacuum Rutherford engine, and a Curie-powered Kick Stage for precise deployment. Rocket Lab's official archive records 91 Electron-derived launches through 27 June 2026: 82 orbital Electron missions and nine HASTE suborbital missions.

Electron
“Electron rocket liftoff” by Rocket Lab · Source
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Identity

Aliases
Rocket Lab ElectronElectron launch vehicle
Family Name
Electron
Full Name
Electron
Status
active
Type
rocket

Details

Description
Electron is Rocket Lab's carbon-composite small orbital launch vehicle, using nine sea-level Rutherford engines, one vacuum Rutherford engine, and a Curie-powered Kick Stage for precise deployment. Rocket Lab's official archive records 91 Electron-derived launches through 27 June 2026: 82 orbital Electron missions and nine HASTE suborbital missions.
Dimensions
Diameter M
1.2
Height M
18
First Flight Year
2,017
Manufacturer
Operator
Programs
Propulsion Configurations
  • Entries
    • Count
      9
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
  • Entries
    • Count
      9
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      maneuvering
      Stage
      third-stage
      Variant Notes
      Rocket Lab identifies the Electron Kick Stage as powered by its in-house Curie engine for orbit raising, circularization, and disposal burns.
    Name
    Electron Rutherford / Curie configuration
    Notes
    Rocket Lab identifies the Electron third-stage Kick Stage as Curie-powered; the existing nine Rutherford sea-level and one Rutherford vacuum entries are preserved.
Rocket Specs
Liftoff Mass Kg
13,000
Payload Capacity Kg
Leo
300
Reusability
partially_reusable
Stages Count
3

Links

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Creation Time
April 26, 2026 at 14:21:48 UTC
Updated Time
August 13, 2026 at 21:23:21 UTC