Aircraft program
Family of two-stage orbital launch vehicles with modified third Kick Stage for precise payload delivery, features nine Rutherford engines on first stage, single vacuum Rutherford for second stage.
The aircraft as engineered: what it is built from, the systems it flies with, and its configuration — each box a theme.
Technical reference compiled with AI research; a value appears only where two independent research passes and a web fact-check agree. Gaps are deliberate.
Supplier geography and market analysis for this program — with an Analytics subscription.
Subscribe| Variant | Launch / first flight | Production end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket Lab Electron | 2014 / 2017 | Reusable two-stage orbital launch vehicle with LEO 300 kg payload capacity. Originally launched as expendable but modified to have reusable first stage. | |
| Rocket Lab HASTE | 2023 / 2023 | Rocket Lab's Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) suborbital testbed launch vehicle providing high-cadence flight test opportunites. Derived from Electron rocket but with LEO payload capacity of up to 700 kg. |
| Rocket Lab | News |
The program’s dated history — milestones, contracts, supplier selections and facilities, each linked to its source. Log in to view.
Information on this page is compiled from a variety of published sources; links do not necessarily imply recommendation or confirmation by the airframe manufacturer.
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