Watch the Launch

Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Baby Come Back (Rideshare)

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Dedicated Rideshare

Low Earth Orbit Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
39 - Pacific Ocean

The "Baby Come Back" mission includes NASA's Starling project, which consists of four CubeSats designed to test technologies for future swarm missions. Telesat contributes the LEO 3 demonstration satellite, ensuring continuity for customers and ecosystem vendor testing. Additionally, two 3U satellites carrying GNSS-RO payloads from SpinGlobal will replenish their constellation of over 100 multipurpose satellites.

Updates

JRascagneres • July 18, 2023, 3:15 a.m.

Mission success confirmed


JRascagneres • July 18, 2023, 1:28 a.m.

Liftoff


LL2 • July 18, 2023, 1:02 a.m.

Livestream has started


SwGustav • July 17, 2023, 10:19 p.m.

Updating T-0


Jay • July 16, 2023, 2:31 a.m.

Delayed due to weather


Electron

Family:
Configuration:

Electron is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle (with an optional third stage) developed by the American aerospace company Rocket Lab. Electron is a small-lift launch vehicle designed to launch small satellites and cubesats to sun-synchronous orbit and low earth orbit. The Electron is the first orbital class rocket to use electric-pump-fed engines, powered by the 9 Rutherford engines on the first stage. It is also used as a suborbital testbed (called HASTE) for hypersonics research.

See Details
Specifications
  • Minimum Stage
    2
  • Max Stage
    3
  • Length
    18.0 m
  • Diameter
    1.2 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    1.2 m
  • Launch Mass
    13.0 T
  • Thrust
    162.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Electron
  • Family
    ―
  • Variant
    ―
  • Alias
    ―
  • Full Name
    Electron
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $6000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    300.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    ―
  • Direct Geostationary
    ―
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    225.0 kg

Booster Info


39

Status: Retired


Type: Core
Flight Proven: No
First Flight: July 18, 2023
Last Flight: July 18, 2023
Flights: 1
Landings Attempted: 1
Landings Successful: 1

Landing Information

Rocket Lab has successfully recovered the Electron booster after a soft parachute splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Result: Successful Parachute Landing landing at Pacific Ocean.

Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab

(RL)

CEO: Peter Beck Founded: 2006 Successes: 95 Failures: 4 Pending: 59

Agency Type:

Rocket Lab is an American aerospace manufacturer with a wholly owned New Zealand subsidiary. The company develops lightweight, cost-effective commercial rocket launch services. The Electron Program was founded on the premise that small payloads such as CubeSats require dedicated small launch vehicles and flexibility not currently offered by traditional rocket systems. Its rocket, the Electron, is a light-weight rocket and is now operating commercially. The company is also producing a variety of spacecrafts and spacecrafts components.

INFO WIKI
SpaceNews

NASA boosts science objectives for Starling swarm

NASA is expanding testing of distributed autonomy for its first satellite swarm, Starling. The post NASA boosts science objectives for Starling swarm appeared first on SpaceNews.

Teslarati

Rocket Lab launches 7 satellites, recovers first stage booster

The ‘Baby Come Back’ mission successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 1B on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand at 01:27 UTC,...

SpaceNews

Electron launches seven smallsats in latest step towards reusability

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket placed seven smallsats for three customers into orbit July 17 on a launch that also brought the company a step closer to reusing the rocket’s booster.

NASASpaceflight

Launch Roundup: Rocket Lab conducts Electron reuse attempt, SpaceX to fly two Starlink v2 missions

The week of July 16 through July 23 will see at least four more launches take place around the world, potentially increasing the orbital launch count to 108 so far in 2023. This includes Rocket Lab’s launch of the “Baby Come Back” mission …

SpaceNews

Rocket Lab takes another step towards reusability on next Electron launch

Rocket Lab’s next Electron launch will feature upgrades to the rocket that bring the company a step closer to being able to reuse its first stage.

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B


Long March 12
Success
2 hours, 15 minutes ago
SatNet LEO Group 29
Commercial LC-2 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M
Success
1 day, 9 hours ago
Glonass-K1? (Kosmos 2621?)
43/3 (43L) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identity uncertain. Glonass-K are the third generation of satellite design for GLONASS satellite navigation system. GLONASS is a Rus…


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 21 hours ago
USSF-432
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A classified mission for the United States Space Force. It is possibly a batch of classified LEO satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite bu…


Ceres-2
Success
1 day, 23 hours ago
4 satellites
Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Share-ride of 4 commercial Earth observation and technology demonstration satellites to SSO, details TBD.


Long March 2C
Success
3 days, 6 hours ago
Yaogan 51-07 to 09
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

3 Chinese military “remote sensing” satellite of unknown purposes.


Kinetica 2
Success
5 days, 22 hours ago
SpaceSail Polar Group #17
Launch Area 140 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

18 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites with Ku, Q and V band payloads for the G60 constellation operated by Shanghai Spacesail Technologies with…


Electron
Success
6 days, 5 hours ago
The Sea God Surveys (iQPS Launch 9)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Starlink Group 15-18
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


GSLV Mk II
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
IRNSS-1L (NVS-03)
Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad - Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India

This is a replacement satellite for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. The constellation will provide India with an alternative to GPS …


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
Starlink Group 15-16
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.