RocketLab Flys Recovered Electron Engine For First Time

Rocket Lab has achieved a significant milestone in the effort to make Electron reusable, for the first time the company has flown an engine that had previously flown before and was recovered from the ocean.

The Electron mission, named the "We Love the Nightlife", took off from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 7:45 pm Eastern. The objective was to deploy the Capella Space radar imaging satellite, part of the Acadia line, into a 640km mid-inclination orbit. The satellite was successfully deployed 58 minutes after liftoff.

Originally scheduled for July 30, the launch faced delays due to data from a sensor in one of the engines indicating low igniter pressure. A subsequent attempt on August 6 was also scrubbed. In response, Rocket Lab made the decision to replace the entire booster with a recently completed one, specially designed for recovery.

"The call was made to bring forward that recovery booster and swap the payload onto this Electron to tighten the turnaround to get back to the pad for Capella and accelerate our efforts to make Electron a reusable rocket at the exact same time" - Murielle Baker, RocketLab during launch webcast.

Unlike the boosters predecessor, this new one was engineered for reusability. Among its nine Rutherford engines, one had previously flown on an Electron launch in May 2022. This specific engine had undergone multiple full-duration hotfire tests to ensure its suitability for another flight.

"The data is in, perfect performance from the reused engine and the stage." - Peter Beck, Rocket Lab's CEO

During an earnings call on August 8, RocketLab confirmed that relaunching a Rutherford engine was one of the final steps preceding the company's readiness to reuse an entire booster.

"From there we’ll schedule the first reflight of a full stage booster," - Peter Beck, Rocket Lab's CEO

Although no specific timeline was given for this development the company has indicate that additional enhancements to support reusability were in the works for the 45th flight of the vehicle.

The "We Love the Nightlife" launch, was the 40th for the Electron rocket. The booster was succesfully recovered from the ocean after it carried the inaugural Capella Acadia synthetic aperture radar imaging satellite.

The Acadia series promises enhanced image resolution, improved image quality, and better communication capabilities for both satellite tasking and imagery downlinking. The launch represented the first in a series of four Electron missions carrying Capella's Acadia satellites under a contract signed between Rocket Lab and Capella Space in February. Although the launches are set to occur in "rapid succession," the precise schedule has yet to be disclosed.

As Rocket Lab's eighth Electron mission of 2023, including a launch of the suborbital Electron variant called HASTE, the company continues to project a total of 15 Electron launches for the year.

In a video message during the launch webcast, Peter Beck expressed his amazement at the company's progress, stating,

"I can’t believe we’re at flight 40. Honestly, it feels like flight 1 was just a few weeks ago. I can’t wait for 80 and beyond." - Peter Beck, Rocket Lab's CEO