Rocket Lab has launched the Electron rocket for the 50th time.
The reusable orbital-class rocket lifted off from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, on June 21 at 6:13 a.m., local time. The mission, dubbed No Time Toulouse, deployed five satellites to a 635-kilometer circular orbit for French internet of things company Kineis.
The launch also brings the number of total satellites brought to space by the Electron rocket to 190.
“When Electron lifted off the pad for the first time in 2017, we knew we’d 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,” said Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab.
Beck also noted that Electron is the fastest commercially developed rocket to reach 50 launches. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 took seven years and nine months to conduct 50 launches, whereas Electron crossed the milestone after only seven years and one month.
Rocket Lab is in contract with Kineis for four more dedicated Electron launches. The Toulouse, France-based satellite operator is building an IoT constellation of 25 nanosatellites.
The 16U spacecraft is equipped with an automatic maritime identification system payload that delivers data to users in near-real time to and from any point on the planet. This system will support transport and logistics tracking, wildfire detection, critical infrastructure monitoring, water resource management and other applications.