Rocket Lab was founded byPeter Beck in 2006 inNew Zealand.[15] In 2009, it became the first private company in the Southern Hemisphere to reach space with the successful launch of its Ātea-1sounding rocket.[15][16] In 2013, it became a U.S. company, establishing its headquarters inHuntington Beach, California, before later moving toLong Beach in 2020.[17] After establishing its United States presence, the company raisedventure capital for the development of itsElectron orbital rocket, which reached space on itsmaiden flight in 2017,[18] and orbit on its second flight in 2018.[19] In 2020, the company launched its first self-built and designed satellite, "First Light", which is derived from Electron'skick stage.[20]
The company is a major spacecraft manufacturer, building and operating satellites for commercial constellation operators such asGlobalstar,[21] as well as government customers like theSpace Development Agency.[22][23]
Rocket Lab has acquired five companies: Sinclair Interplanetary in April 2020,[24] Advanced Solutions, Inc. (ASI) in October 2021,[25] Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC) in December 2021,[26] SolAero Holdings, Inc. in January 2022,[27] and Geost, LLC in August 2025.[28]
The company became the first private company in the Southern Hemisphere to reach space after launching its Ātea-1sounding rocket in November 2009.[38] The payload was not recovered, and the launch was deemed unsuccessful.[39] The payload was a ballistic instrumentation dart and its trajectory depended only on theboost phase.[40] The launch took place off the coast of New Zealand, from the private island (Great Mercury Island) ofMichael Fay, a New Zealand banker and Rocket Lab investor.[36]
In December 2010, the company was awarded a U.S. government contract from theOperationally Responsive Space Office (ORS) to study a low-costspace launcher to placeCubeSats into orbit.[41][42][43][44] The agreement withNASA enabled the company to contract for limitedNASA resources, including personnel, facilities, and equipment, for commercial launch efforts.[45][46]
Around 2013, the company moved to the United States and established its headquarters inHuntington Beach, California.[47][48] The move coincided with funding from American sources, and was in part due to increased U.S. government involvement.[47] The New Zealand company became a subsidiary of the American company.[49] In 2020, Rocket Lab moved toLong Beach.[50] The move was motivated by the need to accommodate the company's growing workforce and to be closer to suppliers and customers.[51] The new facility includes a state-of-the-art production facility for manufacturing the company'sElectron launch vehicle,[52] as well as administrative offices and other support facilities.[53][54]
In 2018, Rocket Lab began to developreusable first stage technology,[62] after previously stating publicly that they had no intention of attempting to recover and reuse their launch vehicles.[63] They disclosed the effort to study the potential recovery of an Electron first stage in August 2019, aiming to use aparachute andmid-air retrieval.[64] In December 2019, theyflight tested thereentry technology, a Rocket Lab proprietaryaerothermal decelerator,[65] on Electron flight number 10, and were able to decelerate the rocket and successfully bring it through the space tolower atmosphere transition.[65] In November 2022, Rocket Lab cut the ribbon on an engine test facility for the Archimedes engine atNASA'sStennis Space Center.[66]
In March 2020, the company announced that it had acquired Sinclair Interplanetary, a Canadian manufacturer of components for small satellites.[67] Rocket Lab said that it would use Sinclair technology on itsPhoton line of smallsatellite buses, and that it would help Sinclair increase production of small satellite components for sale to other firms.[68] Thereafter, Rocket Lab launched missions with some or all of the payload being made by Sinclair Interplanetary.[69]
The company began trading on theNasdaq stock exchange on 25 August 2021 after merging with SPAC Vector Acquisition at a $4.8 billion valuation. The transaction added $777 million in gross cash.[73][74] At the time, Rocket Lab had over 500 employees, and it had successfully launched 105 satellites into orbit.[75][76][73] Rocket Lab's launch business booked revenues of $13.5 million in 2018, $48 million in 2019, and an estimated $33 million in 2020.[73] Rocket Lab spent somewhere between $250 and $300 million of the cash gained from going public to develop Neutron.[77] Rocket Lab aimed to launch Neutron by 2025.[78]
As of August 2021, the company intended to build a new factory in the United States to manufacture the rockets as well as launch infrastructure for Neutron at theMid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport inWallops Island, Virginia.[68][73] In October 2021, the company acquired Advanced Solutions, Inc (ASI), aColorado-based spacecraft flight software company.[79] In November 2021, the company acquired Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC), a manufacturer ofsatellite separation systems, for $81.4 million.[80] In January 2022, the company acquired SolAero, a supplier of space solar power products.[81]
On 3 May 2022, in the "There And Back Again" mission, the company launched itsElectron rocket from New Zealand and attempted to recover it for the first time.[82] It was able to capture the fallingrocket booster in mid-air, a historic first.[83][84][85][86]Beck later said that the booster was hanging improperly, so it was allowed to parachute into the water where it was extracted by a ship.[87]
In August 2022, the company revealed plans to become the first private company to reachVenus.[88] The company is building a small probe, called theVenus Life Finder (VLF),[89] which is designed to plunge through Venus's upper atmosphere for roughly five minutes between 29 mi (47 km) and 37 mi (60 km) above the planet's surface, searching for organic compounds.[88] As of March 2025, the target launch date aboard the Electron rocket was the Summer of 2026.[90]
In October 2023, Rocket Lab officially opened its engine development facility in Long Beach to support the development of theArchimedes engine.[91] The facility, including production assets such as machinery and equipment, had been acquired in May 2023 out ofVirgin Orbit's bankruptcy proceedings.[92]
In January 2024, Rocket Lab became the prime contractor for a $515MUnited States Space Force (USSF) military satellite project, the company's largest contract to date.[93][22]
In April 2024, the company announced it would begin selling carbon composite products to customers.[94]
In November 2024, news reports said the company threatened an academic in New Zealand with a defamation lawsuit for comments that Rocket Lab was involved with US military control over nuclear weapons.[102]
In May 2025, Rocket Lab entered into an agreement to acquire Geost.[103] This has increased their total headcount by 115, bringing Rocket Lab’s total headcount to more than 2,600 employees.[104]
Electron is a two-stage launch vehicle that uses Rocket Lab'sRutherford liquid engines on both stages.[105][106] The vehicle is capable of delivering payloads of 150 kg to a 500 kmSun-synchronous orbit.[107] The projected cost is less than US$5 million per launch.[108]
On 21 January 2018, their second rocket, on a flight named "Still Testing", launched, reached orbit and deployed threeCubeSats for customersPlanet Labs andSpire Global.[19] The rocket also carried a satellite payload calledHumanity Star, a 1 m-wide (3.3 ft) carbon fiber geodesic sphere made of 65 panels that reflect the Sun's light.[116]Humanity Star re-entered Earth's atmosphere and burned up in March 2018.[117] On 11 November 2018, the first commercial launch (third launch overall) took off from Māhia Peninsula carrying satellites forSpire Global, GeoOptics, a CubeSat built by high school students, and a prototype of a dragsail.[118]
On 4 July 2020, an issue during the second-stage burn of flight 13, named "Pics or It Didn't Happen", caused Electron to fail to get into orbit and its payloads were lost.[119] On 19 November 2020, a launch mission named "Return to Sender" successfully deployed its payload of 30small satellites.[120] First stage recovery was also successfully implemented.[121] On 15 May 2021, the company launched "Running Out Of Toes," which successfully utilized the first-stage recovery method like the one used on "Return to Sender."[122] However, the rocket failed to place its payload of two BlackSky satellites into orbit after an issue occurred with the second stage.[123]
On 15 September 2022, Rocket Lab launched "The Owl Spreads Its Wings" mission, sending asynthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite into Earth orbit.[124] On September 19, 2023, the Electron failed its mission to deliver a Capella Space synthetic-aperture radar imaging satellite when the rocket's second stage failed shortly after separation.[125] Electron successfully returned to flight on December 14 with the launch of a Japanese radar imaging satellite, which marked a record 10th flight for the rocket in 2023.[126]
Two attempts have been made to recover an Electron booster by helicopter.[127] In addition, six attempts have been made atsoft water recovery.[128][129]
Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) is a suborbital testbed launch vehicle derived from theElectron orbital rocket.[130] HASTE provides flight test opportunities for hypersonic and suborbital system technology development.[130] It successfully launched its first mission "Scout's Arrow" on 18 June 2023, forLeidos.[131]
HASTE has a payload capacity of 700 kg (1,500 lb), double that of Electron. It can deploy payloads from 80 km (50 mi) altitude and higher.[130] In 2024, two HASTE launches were planned.[132] As of November 2023 Rocket Lab had contracted for at least six HASTE missions.[133]
A design concept image of Neutron, which is expected to launch in Q1 2026The Archimedes Engine, which powers Neutron and began testing in 2024
The company announced in March 2021 that it was developing a newmedium-lift two-stagehuman-rated launch vehicle calledNeutron.[134] Neutron is expected to be 40 m (130 ft) tall with a 4.5 m-diameter (15 ft)fairing.[135] It will have 13-and-15-short-ton (12 and 14 t) capacities.[136] Rocket Lab said they aim to make thefirst stage of the vehiclereusable, with landings planned on afloating landing platform downrange in the ocean.[70][72] This method is similar to howSpaceXrecovers theFalcon 9 andFalcon Heavy rockets.[137] During a question and answer session with space and rocket communicatorScott Manley, Beck indicated a preference to avoid fixed assets such as landing barges.[138] This indicated that design work had proceeded on the basis that the Neutron would return for landing rather than landing downrange.[139]
Neutron launches are intended to take place from theMid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on the eastern coast of Virginia.[135] Rocket Lab is expected to modify the existing launch pad infrastructure atLaunch Pad 0A (LP-0A).[70] In March 2022, Rocket Lab announced that Neutron will be manufactured at a facility adjacent to MARS Launch Complex 2.[135] Launch Complex 2 is currently being used forElectron launches.[140] Rocket Lab began to break ground for this facility on 11 April 2022.[141] As of March 2021, the company is planning for the first launch no earlier than mid-2025.[78] In mid-2024, the company completed assembly on the first Archimedes engine, to undergo testing atStennis Space Center, as well as some assembly on Neutron's fairings.[142][101]
The first and only launch of theĀtea (Māori for "space") sub-orbital sounding rocket occurred in late 2009.[143] The 6 m-long (20 ft) rocket, weighing approximately 60 kg (130 lb), was designed to carry a 2 kg (4.4 lb) payload to an altitude of around 120 km (75 mi).[144] It was intended to carry scientific payloads or possibly personal items.[145][146][147]
Photon is asatellite bus based on Rocket Lab'sElectron kick stage.[157] It moves satellites into their appropriate orbits once boosted by rockets such as Electron. It is customizable for uses including LEO payload hosting,[158] lunar flybys, and interplanetary missions.[159]
Location of Photon on the Electron rocket
Photon uses chemical propulsion for orbit adjustments. It can use a variety of engines, such as theCurie and HyperCurie engines, as well as engines from third-party sources, such as the one poweringthe EscaPADE mission.[160]
Photon first launched in August 2020 on Rocket Lab'sI Can't Believe It's Not Optical mission, where it served as a pathfinder. It has since flown three times. It flew theCAPSTONE mission.[citation needed]
Photon communicates on theS-band.[161] Depending on the orbital inclination (37° toSun-synchronous orbit), it is expected to have a payload capacity of 170 kg (370 lb).[162][163] The interplanetary version was to have a 40 kg (88 lb) payload capacity.[164]
HyperCurie is an evolution of the Curie engine, which comes inmonopropellant and bipropellant versions, while the HyperCurie ishypergolic[165] and electrically pumped.[166]
In February 2020, Rocket Lab was selected byNASA to launch theCAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) onElectron and deploy it to lunar orbit from aPhoton spacecraft bus.[167] CAPSTONE is a microwave oven–sized CubeSat weighing 55 pounds and is the first spacecraft to test a unique, elliptical lunar orbit.[168] As a pathfinder for theLunar Gateway, a Moon-orbiting outpost that is part of NASA'sArtemis program, CAPSTONE will help reduce risk for future spacecraft by validating innovative navigation technologies and verifying the dynamics of this halo-shaped orbit.[169] Originally scheduled to launch from Virginia, the launch location was adjusted toLaunch Complex 1 in New Zealand in August 2021[170] due to delays in certifying the NASA autonomous flight termination system planned to fly on Electron missions fromLaunch Complex 2.[171] The CAPSTONE mission was successfully launched on Electron in June 2022[172] and on July 4th Photon's HyperCurie engine completed the final Translunar Injection Burn, successfully releasing the CAPSTONE spacecraft on a trajectory to lunar orbit.[173] CAPSTONE completed its primary six-month mission and as of July 2023 was continuing an enhanced mission to deliver ongoing data in support of Artemis.[174]
In 2012, the company demonstrated a rocket propelled by a viscous liquid monopropellant (VLM) developed viaDARPA andOffice of Naval Research (NRL) work.[175][176] The VLM was reported to bethixotropic, so that it behaves as a pseudo-solid until a shear force is applied, after which it flows like a liquid. The VLM density was reported to be comparable tosolid-rocket propellant.[176] The VLM reportedly required no special handling, was non-toxic, water-soluble, had low sensitivity to shock, a high ignition point, and was barely flammable in the atmosphere.[177] The company earned a US patent[178] on the system.[179]
In 2011, Rocket Lab had a program called "Instant Eyes".[180][181] The Instant Eyesunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)[182] was designed for military applications requiring a bird's-eye view, much like drones.[183][184] Upon launch, the rocket with its 5megapixel camera would reach an altitude of 2,500 feet (760 m) within 20 seconds.[180][185]
CubeSats being prepared at a processing facility near Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New ZealandPayload preparation inside a Rocket Lab facility atHuntington Beach, California
The company's primary manufacturing facility is located in Long Beach,[189] where rocket components are manufactured and assembled before traveling to the New Zealandlaunch site.[190]
The manufacturing process begins with the production of theElectron rocket's first stage, which is built usingcarbon composite.[191] The material is designed to be strong and lightweight.[15]
Once the first stage is complete, it is transported to the New Zealand launch site, where the second stage and other components are added.[192] The second stage is powered by a single Rutherford engine.[191] The engine uses anelectric pump-fed propulsion system.[191]
Manufacturing the carbon composite components of the main flight structure has traditionally required 400 hours, involving extensive hand labor.[193] In late 2019, Rocket Lab brought a new robotic manufacturing capability online to produce Electron's composite parts in 12 hours.[194] The robot was named "Rosie the Robot", afterThe Jetsons character.[195] The process can make all the carbon fiber structures as well as handle cutting, drilling, and sanding, such that the parts are ready for final assembly.[195] The company objective as of November 2019 was to reduce the overall Electron manufacturing cycle to seven days.[192][194][196]
In October 2023, Rocket Lab announced it had acquired carbon composite manufacturing facilities, equipment and more than 50 team members fromSailGP Technologies inWarkworth, New Zealand.[198] SailGP was already a supplier to Rocket Lab, so when SailGP announced plans to move operations to the UK, Rocket Lab took over the facilities and employees to support a growing production rate for the Electron rocket and the rapid development ofNeutron.[199]
In October 2023, Rocket Lab officially opened its Engine Development Center in Long Beach in the former Virgin Orbit factory, where the company now builds Rutherford and Archimedes engines.[200]
In November 2023, Rocket Lab announced plans to establish a Space Structures Complex inMiddle River, Maryland, deliver a comprehensive suite of advanced composite products for the space industry and to further vertically integrate supply for the company's internal needs across launch and space systems.[201] The site will also play a role in the development and long-term supply of carbon composite structures for Neutron.[202]
Through the acquisition of SolAero, Rocket Lab also has facilities inAlbuquerque, New Mexico.[203] Through the acquisition of ASI, the company has facilities inLittleton, Colorado.[204] Through the acquisition of Planetary Systems Corporation, the company has facilities in Maryland,[205] and in Toronto, Canada through the acquisition of Sinclair Interplanetary.[206] In September 2021, Rocket Lab announced it was expanding production ofreaction wheels with a new production line in Auckland to support production of up to 2,000 reaction wheels per year for an undisclosedmega-constellation customer.[207]
The company'sLaunch Complex 1 (LC-1) is a private orbital launch site located on theMāhia Peninsula in New Zealand.[208] The site consists of two launch pads,[209] a vehicle integration facility, and a range control center.[210] It was designed to support the company'sElectron launch vehicle, which is optimized for small satellite launches.[211]
The company originally planned to useKaitorete Spit as its primary launch site and Mahia Peninsula as a secondary one.[212] After encountering difficulty in obtainingresource consent for the Kaitorete Spit launch site,[213] Rocket Lab announced in November 2015 that its primary launch site would be on the Māhia Peninsula, east ofWairoa on the North Island.[214] The site is licensed to launch rockets every 72 hours for 30 years.[215] Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 (LC-1A) was officially opened on 26 September 2016 (UTC; 27 SeptemberNZDT).[216] In December 2019, Rocket Lab began construction of a second pad on the Māhia Peninsula named Launch Complex 1B.[217] On 28 February 2022, Launch Complex 1B hosted its first launch: "The Owl's Night Continues."[218]
LC-1 has been in operation since 2017 and has supported numerous launches for a variety of customers, including NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and commercial satellite operators.[219] LC-1A was the first part of LC-1 and was introduced in 2017.[220] The first launch supported from LC-1A was "It's a Test."[221] LC-1B was added later in February 2022.[222] "The Owl's Night Continues" was the first launch supported from LC-1B.[218]
In late 2018, the company selected MARS as its second launch site.[223] Decision factors included infrastructure readiness, few launches from other companies, and the ability to supplement LC-1orbital inclinations.[188] It was expected to be capable of monthly launches.[188]Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) is located within the fence line ofMARS Launch Pad 0A.[188] In December 2019, construction of the launch pad was completed, and Rocket Lab inaugurated LC-2.[224]
The firstElectron launch from LC-2 happened on 24 January 2023 during the "Virginia is for launch lovers" mission, named in celebration of the launch.[225] The launch placed three satellites in orbit.[226] Two more missions were later launched from LC-2.[227][228]
On 28 August 2025, LC-3 was officially opened with an official opening ceremony hosted directly at LC-3, with attendees such as Rocket Lab team members, founding staff, and even official representatives, including theGovernor of Virginia,Glenn Youngkin.[235][236]
^"News". Rocket Lab. Archived fromthe original on 23 July 2011.December 2010 – Rocket Lab was awarded a U.S. contract from the Operationally Responsive Space Office (ORS) to study low cost international alternatives. Included in this study is a 640,000newtons booster, a miniature avionics system and a launch vehicle to place small mass satellites into polar and low Earth orbits.
^US patent 20120234196, Peter Joseph Beck & Adam Michael Berry, "Viscous Liquid Monopropellant", published 14 March 2012, assigned to Rocket Lab USA Inc.
^Dodd, Tim (11 October 2018)."Exclusive Inside Look at Rocket Lab's Previously-secret new Mega Factory!". Everyday Astronaut. Archived fromthe original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved10 November 2018.Although Rocket Lab's engines and avionics are built in Long Beach, California, the final assembly of the vehicle is done here in Auckland–A fitting choice, as they're currently only launching from their Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, some 500 km away
This template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future
Symbol† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)
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