Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Owl New World (StriX Launch 7)

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Earth Science

Low Earth Orbit Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • Oct. 14, 2025, 7:39 p.m.

Launch success.


Cosmic_Penguin • Oct. 14, 2025, 5:26 p.m.

Spacecraft separation.


Cosmic_Penguin • Oct. 14, 2025, 4:34 p.m.

Liftoff.


LL2 • Oct. 14, 2025, 4:10 p.m.

Official Webcast by Rocket Lab has started


Cosmic_Penguin • Oct. 14, 2025, 1:38 p.m.

New T-0.


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

Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab

(RL)

CEO: Peter Beck Founded: 2006 Successes: 72 Failures: 4 Pending: 44

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

Related News

NASASpaceflight

Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 to launch six missions in one week

Following the successful flight of Starship Flight 11 on Monday, SpaceX is set to continue… The post Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 to launch six missions in one week appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Spaceflight Now

Rocket Lab launches 7th StriX Earth observation satellites for Japan-based Synspective

The ‘Owl New World’ mission was the 13th orbital Electron launch of 2025. The synthetic aperture radar satellite was deployed into a circular low Earth orbit roughly 50 minutes after liftoff from Mahia, New Zealand.

SpaceNews

Rocket Lab launches seventh Synspective radar imaging satellite

Rocket Lab launched a spacecraft for one Japanese radar imaging company Oct. 14, just days after signing a contract for additional launches for another. The post Rocket Lab launches seventh Synspective radar imaging satellite appeared fir…

Arstechnica

Rocket Report: Electron turns 50, China’s Moon launcher breathes fire

"Most rocket startups are still stuck in the long process of reengineering."

The Launch Pad

Synspective Signs Contract with Rocket Lab for 10 Electron Launches

Synspective Signs Contract with Rocket Lab for 10 Electron Launches

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A


Long March 8A
Success
1 day, 5 hours ago
SatNet LEO Group 14
Commercial LC-1 - 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.…


Kuaizhou-1A
Success
2 days, 4 hours ago
Traffic VDES A & B
Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Two technology demonstration satellites for satellite transmissions of signals for the VHF Data Exchange System (VDES), a successor to the current Au…


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 16 hours ago
Starlink Group 11-25
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 28 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Zhuque-3
Success
4 days, 9 hours ago
Demo Flight
Launch Area 96B - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

First test launch of LandSpace’s ZQ-3 rocket, with a dummy payload. The rocket’s 1st stage will attempt to land on a landing pad about 300 km downran…


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 14 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-95
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 7 hours ago
Starlink Group 15-10
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.


Vega-C
Success
5 days, 19 hours ago
KOMPSAT-7
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV) - Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

KOMPSAT-7 is the follow-up model of KOMPSAT-3A whose mission is to provide high-resolution satellite images to satisfy South-Korea's governmental and…


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 5 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-86
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 7A
Success
1 week ago
Shijian 28
201 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Classified experimental Chinese satellite of unknown purposes.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Transporter 15 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare)
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Dedicated rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.