Rocket Lab Explorer Interplanetary Spacecraft
Explorer is Rocket Lab's high-delta-v interplanetary spacecraft platform, with large propellant tanks, deep-space avionics, and ranging transponders. Rocket Lab identifies the CAPSTONE spacecraft as Explorer flight heritage and the Venus Life Finder transfer spacecraft as an Explorer mission; earlier mission material and NASA's 2025 capsule update call this heritage architecture High-Energy Photon or Photon.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Rocket Lab ExplorerHigh-Energy PhotonLunar PhotonPhoton interplanetary spacecraft
- Family Name
- Explorer
- Full Name
- Rocket Lab Explorer Interplanetary Spacecraft
- Roles
- interplanetary_probeorbiter
- Status
- active
- Type
- spacecraft
Details
- Description
- Explorer is Rocket Lab's high-delta-v interplanetary spacecraft platform, with large propellant tanks, deep-space avionics, and ranging transponders. Rocket Lab identifies the CAPSTONE spacecraft as Explorer flight heritage and the Venus Life Finder transfer spacecraft as an Explorer mission; earlier mission material and NASA's 2025 capsule update call this heritage architecture High-Energy Photon or Photon.
- First Flight Year
- 2,022
- Manufacturer
- Operator
- Spacecraft Specs
- Reusability
- expendable
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 17, 2026 at 06:37:03 UTC
- Updated Time
- July 19, 2026 at 17:02:05 UTC
- Image
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- Search Name
- Rocket Lab Explorer Interplanetary Spacecraft Rocket Lab Explorer High-Energy Photon Lunar Photon Photon interplanetary spacecraft