Watch Rocket Lab send the Electron into space in its first test flight
The small-scale satellite launch company Rocket Lab, one of our Most Innovative Companies in the space industry, has completed a test flight of its Electron rocket. Powered by electricity instead of liquid fuel, and with an engine that is manufactured using a 3D printer, the Electron represents a new model for the space business—one in which launches take place with far greater frequency than they do today.
#ItsaTest pic.twitter.com/JI4M6iTqiC
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLabUSA) May 25, 2017
The test, which was performed from the company’s private New Zealand launch pad, had been delayed for several days due to weather. It’s the first of three test flights before Rocket Lab begins taking commercial payloads into orbit.
#ItsaTest pic.twitter.com/KRo1iBB1wK
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLabUSA) May 25, 2017