GOElectron

HASTE | Bubbles

Rocket Lab·Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (Launch Area 0 C), Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia

Sub-orbital launch under Rocket Lab’s Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) program, details TBD.

Launch Vehicle

Electron

Rocket Lab

Electron is Rocket Lab's small orbital launch vehicle and one of the most innovative rockets flying today. Its Rutherford engines are almost entirely 3D-printed and use an electric turbopump driven by lithium-polymer batteries — eliminating the gas generator found on conventional engines. Rocket Lab began recovering and reusing first-stage boosters in 2022, making Electron the first small-class rocket with an active reuse programme.

Height

18 m (59 ft)

Diameter

1.2 m (3.9 ft)

Payload to LEO

300 kg (to 500 km SSO)

Stages

First Flight

January 21, 2018 (first successful orbital flight; first attempt May 25, 2017)

Engines

9× Rutherford (first stage), 1× Rutherford Vacuum (second stage)

Propellant

RP-1 (kerosene) / Liquid Oxygen

Reusable

Yes

Notable

Rutherford engines are the first 3D-printed, flight-proven orbital rocket engines
Electric turbopump — driven by batteries — replaces the traditional gas generator cycle
First stage recovered via helicopter capture over the ocean (first successful catch: May 2, 2022)
50+ orbital flights, serving commercial, NASA, DARPA, and NRO customers

T-Minus

Days

Hours

Min

Sec

Local Pad · Tue, Apr 21 · 8:00 PM EDT // 00:00 UTC

Launch Window · 5 hours

Launch Window

Window not open

Open

8:00 PM EDT

Target

8:00 PM EDT

1:00 AM EDT

Estimated GO

7 days out

Weather forecasts beyond 4 days are too unreliable for launch planning. Check back closer to launch time.

Livestream

No livestream link available yet

Launch Site

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (Launch Area 0 C), Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia

Launch data via TheSpaceDevs Launch Library. Weather estimates via Open-Meteo using vehicle-specific commit criteria. Always verify with the launch provider.