01
Launch
Dedicated Electron rides to orbit, HASTE suborbital flights for hypersonic testing, and Neutron in development for larger payloads.
[ 01 ]Rocket Lab
What is
Rocket Lab?
Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company. It builds its own launch vehicles and engines, designs and manufactures spacecraft and the components inside them, and operates its missions. It started as a small team in New Zealand with a simple idea: small satellites deserved a dedicated rocket. It has grown into one of the most frequent launch providers in the world.
[ Company file ]
- Founded
- 2006 · Auckland, NZ
- Headquarters
- Long Beach, California
- Founder & CEO
- Sir Peter Beck
- Listed
- Nasdaq: RKLB · Aug 2021
- Segments
- Launch Services · Space Systems
[ A ]What the company does
End-to-end space
Most space companies do one thing. Rocket Lab does five, and each one feeds the others.
02
Space Systems
Complete spacecraft, from small Photon-class buses to constellation satellites for the U.S. Space Development Agency.
03
Satellites
Spacecraft platforms for Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars, including NASA's CAPSTONE and ESCAPADE missions.
04
Components
Solar cells and panels, reaction wheels, star trackers, separation systems, radios and composite structures, supplied across the industry.
05
Mission Services
Flight software, ground segment and mission operations, from integration on the pad to operating spacecraft in orbit.
[ B ]History
From Auckland to orbit
Seven chapters, from a New Zealand workshop to one of the busiest launch providers in the world.
01Founding
2006
A rocket company in New Zealand
Peter Beck founds Rocket Lab in Auckland with the goal of building a dedicated launch vehicle for small satellites.
02First Rocket
2009
Ātea-1 reaches space
The Ātea-1 sounding rocket launches from Great Mercury Island. Rocket Lab describes it as the first private company in the Southern Hemisphere to reach space.
03Electron
2017
“It's a Test”
Electron flies for the first time on 25 May 2017 and reaches space. The flight is ended at about 224 km after a ground-telemetry misconfiguration, not a vehicle fault.
04Orbital Launches
2018
Orbit, then business
“Still Testing” reaches orbit in January 2018. In November, “It's Business Time” becomes Electron's first commercial mission.
- 2020: first ocean recovery of a booster
- 2023: first launch from U.S. soil (LC-2, Virginia)
- 2023: HASTE suborbital variant debuts
- 2025: 21 Electron launches in a year
05Photon
2020
Rocket Lab builds its own spacecraft
The first in-house Photon spacecraft flies in August 2020. In 2022 a Photon-based spacecraft sends NASA's CAPSTONE to the Moon, and in 2025 Rocket Lab-built twins launch for NASA's ESCAPADE Mars mission.
06NeutronPLANNED
2021 →
Going bigger, and reusable
Neutron, a reusable medium-lift rocket, is announced in 2021. Its Archimedes engine first hot-fires in 2024, and its launch complex in Virginia (LC-3) opens in 2025.
07FuturePLANNED
Next
From launcher to space infrastructure
Rocket Lab plans a first Neutron flight, more satellite constellations for defence customers, and deep-space missions. In June 2026 it announced a deal to acquire Iridium, pending approvals.
[ C ]Importance
Why it matters
Dedicated small launch
Before Electron, most small satellites waited for spare room on a big rocket. A dedicated launcher lets them pick their own orbit and date.
Cadence
With 21 launches in 2025 and 16 more by mid-September 2026, Electron has become one of the most frequently flown rockets in the world.
Vertical integration
Engines, structures, solar cells, reaction wheels, software: making them in-house means less waiting on suppliers.
A second path to orbit
Neutron is designed to add a reusable medium-lift option at a time when large constellations need more launches.
[ D ]How it works
Earth to mission
One company can cover every step between the factory floor and a working satellite.
01
Earth
Design, manufacturing and integration in the U.S. and New Zealand.
02
Launch
Electron from Māhia or Wallops; Neutron from LC-3.
03
Orbit
The Kick Stage places each payload in its exact orbit.
04
Satellite
Rocket Lab spacecraft and components come alive.
05
Mission
Imaging, communications, science and defence, operated from the ground.