Rocket Lab Loses 7 Satellites After Failing To Reach Orbit

Private aerospace tech company Rocket Lab failed in launching its rocket into orbit over the weekend. The unfortunate event led to the loss of seven satellites aboard the rocket.

On July 4 at 5:19 p.m. EDT, Rocket Lab launched its two-stage Electron rocket from its site in New Zealand. During the first couple of minutes after takeoff, the rocket performed well. However, after about six minutes, the live video feed from the rocket froze. On-screen indicators for the rocket’s velocity and altitude showed that the spacecraft had significantly slowed down as it struggled to reach orbit.

A few seconds later, Rocket Lab stopped the live feed and confirmed that Electron encountered an issue, which prevented it from reaching orbit. According to the company, the issue occurred during the second stage burn of the rocket. Rocket Lab noted that it would release more details regarding the technical issue once they are available.

“An issue was experienced today during Rocket Lab's launch that caused the loss of the vehicle,” the company explained in a statement. “We are deeply sorry to the customers on board Electron. The issue occurred late in the flight during the 2nd stage burn. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”

The event served as Rocket Lab’s 13th spaceflight. Dubbed as Pics or It Didn’t Happen, the mission’s name refers to its payload, which consists of seven Earth-imaging satellites. The satellites aboard Electron were from various companies. These include five satellites for imaging company Planet, one for Canon Electronics and another one for Space Missions.

Unfortunately, due to the issue encountered by Electron during its launch, the rocket was not able to deploy its payload. It resulted in the complete loss of all seven satellites.

Peter Beck, the founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, apologized for the unsuccessful launch and vowed that the company will correct the issue in preparation for future spaceflights.

“We lost the flight late into the mission. I am incredibly sorry that we failed to deliver our customers satellites today,” he stated. “Rest assured we will find the issue, correct it and be back on the pad soon.”