rocketlab Tag Posts Index

State of the Launch Industry in the First Half of 2026

Launches in the First Half of 2025 SpaceX conducted 81 launches, with 59 (72%) for Starlink. Long March launched 28 times. R-7 launched 5 times. Electron launched

Rocket Lab HASTE Launch – DART AE Hypersonic Test [27.02.26; 20:30 UTC]

Launch has been moved to the 25th because of snow Launch postponed due to "out-of-bounds launch commit criteria" Rocket Lab is preparing a suborbital launch

Nation vs Private Enterprise Rocket Count

Active Orbital-Class Rockets (Operational or Under Development) as of August 2025 A comparison of the number of rockets globally that are owned by a nation compared

# State of the Launch Industry in the First Half of 2025

Launches in 2024 In 2024, SpaceX led with 133 Falcon 9 launches. China followed with 49 Long March launches. Russia’s R-7 launched 12 times, and Rocket Lab’s Electron

Mars Sample Return (MSR) Mission: Part 1 - Overview

This series discusses the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, looking at the proposed options and what else may be possible. Currently NASA's Perseverance rover is

How Close is Elon to Launching 100 Rockets in 2023?

Looking at the most dominant rocket families of 2022, Elon dominated the launch space with 61 Falcon 9 launches. China followed closely behind with 53 launches of

Rocket Lab attempting 2nd Aerial Capture [Live: 04.11.2022, 17:15 UTC]

Rocket lab is trying to capture their spent first stage with a helicopter for the second time. The first capture attempt was a partial success. They managed to catch

Rocket Lab going to the MOON - CAPSTONE [Live: 28.06.2022, 09:50 UTC]

EDIT1: Rocket Lab is takeing an extra 24 hours for final checkout. It will have no influence on the arrival time at the planned lunar orbit. Rocket Lab will be sending

First Aerial Capture Attempt for an Electron Booster Rocket [NEW Live: 02.05.2022, 22:35 UTC]

EDIT 1: New Date 01.05.2022: Rocket Lab moved the launch date because of weather. They want to make sure that their first catching attempt can happen during the

Rocket Lab - The Owl's Night Continues [Live: 28.02.2022, 20:35 UTC]

Stratolaunch Check out the weekly NSF Live by NASASpaceflight.com. This week they start off by talking about their official role as braodcast partner for the fourth

Rocket Lab 22 - First Helicopter Capture Test [Live: 18.11.21, 01:38 UTC]

This launch took a little longer. First there was a faulty sensor, then there were suboptimal weather conditions for launch and helicopter operations. This will

SpaceX launching 3rd Crew | Rocket Lab first Helicopter Capture Test [11.11.21]

SpaceX Crew 3 Check your local time of launch at: www.timeanddate.com This is the third operational Crew Mission for NASA. First flight for the new Dragon Capsule

Rocket Lab's 21st Mission [Live: 29.07.2021, 06:00 UTC]

The mission is called It’s a Little Chile Up Here and delivers a classified payload for the United States Space Force to low-earth orbit. The launch takes place

Rocket Lab's 2nd Recovery Attempt - Running Out of Toes [Live: 15.05.2021, 10:00 UTC]

This will be the second attempt at recovering a first stage. The rocket will soft-land under parachute in the ocean. Air capture will not be attempted. The first

Rocket Lab's 18th Launch - Another One Leaves The Crust [Live: 20.01.2021, 06:45 UTC]

Other News: Virgin Orbit Virgin Orbit has successfully deployed their air launched rocket and delivered 10 CubeSats into their Orbit. They are now a competitor in

Rocket Lab's 1st Recovery Attempt - Return to Sender [Live: 20.10.2020, 01:44 UTC]

Rocket Lab will be trying to recover the first stage. The booster will be slowed down by a parachute and splash down in the ocean, where it will be recovered by

Rocket Lab launches "In Focus" [Live: 28.10.2020, 21:14 UTC] - Second Attempt

Last launch attempt was scrubbed due to faulty readings of an oxygen sensor. The launch takes place at Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. The mission is called In Focus

Rocket Lab launches "In Focus" [Scrubbed]

The launch takes place at Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. The mission is called In Focus and is a rideshare for Canon Electronics and Planet. Payload consists of

Rocket Lab launches "I can't believe it's not Optical" [Live: 31.08.2020, 03:05 UTC]

The launch takes place at Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. The mission is called I can't believe it's not Optical for Capella Space. Payload is a radar imaging satellite

Starlink 8, Rocket Lab 12 [Live: 13.06.2020] and Launch America Q&A

Tony Darnell of deepastronomy.space hosted a Q&A with representatives of Blue Origin, Dynetics and Spacex: Human Landing System: Putting Boots Back on the Moon