Rocket Lab's Electron reaches 100 launches

Overview

Updated 45 minutes ago

Rocket Lab's Electron lifted off from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula at 6:30 p.m. local time on November 14, 2026, carrying a Japanese radar satellite called YAMATSUMI-II. It was the rocket's 100th flight. The company says no other commercially developed rocket has reached that number faster.

The payload belongs to iQPS, a Fukuoka-based operator building a constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites that image Earth through cloud cover and at night. Electron has now flown 11 times for iQPS since 2023 without a failure, and seven more dedicated launches are booked through 2030.

Why it matters

Electron proved small satellites could get dedicated rides on schedule. Its next test is whether that business survives cheap rideshare pricing.

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Key Indicators

100

Electron launches

Reached on November 14, 2026, with the YAMATSUMI-II mission.

96%

Reliability across first 99 launches

Figure cited by founder Peter Beck on the company's November 9 earnings call.

Electron launches for iQPS

All successful since the first iQPS mission in 2023.

Additional iQPS launches booked

Dedicated Electron flights scheduled through 2030.

575 km

Deployment orbit altitude

Low Earth orbit at 42 degrees inclination.

8 days

Electron production rate

Rocket Lab said the day before launch it builds one Electron every eight days.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Sir Peter Beck

Founder and chief executive, Rocket Lab

Leading Rocket Lab through Electron's expansion and Neutron's development

Organizations Involved

Rocket Lab

Space launch and spacecraft company

Operates Electron and the HASTE suborbital variant; developing the medium-lift Neutron rocket

A California-headquartered, New Zealand-founded company that launches small satellites from pads in Mahia and Virginia.

Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space (iQPS)

Earth observation satellite operator

Building a synthetic aperture radar constellation; 11 satellites launched on Electron

A Fukuoka, Japan-based company deploying small radar satellites that image Earth day and night through cloud cover.

Timeline

May 2017 November 2026

6 events Latest: Today

Tap a bar to jump to that date

November 2026
Electron flies for the 100th time
Today Launch

The Mountain God Rises deploys YAMATSUMI-II to a 575-kilometer orbit; iQPS confirms contact eight minutes later.
Today • 18:30 NZDT
Beck cites 96% reliability
Statement

On the quarterly earnings call, the chief executive previews the milestone.
5 days ago
Electron completes 99th launch
Launch

A successful mission sets up the iQPS flight as the 100th.
November 2nd, 2026
2023
First iQPS mission flies
Launch

Rocket Lab begins a dedicated launch series for the Japanese radar operator.
2023
January 2018
Electron reaches orbit
Launch

The second flight delivers cubesats to low Earth orbit.
January 2018
May 2017
Electron's first flight fails
Launch

The debut test flight from New Zealand does not reach orbit.
May 25th, 2017

Scenarios

Electron flies its 200th mission before the end of 2030

Likely Resolves by End of 2030

Discussed by: Rocket Lab's own manifest statements and trade press covering the milestone

Rocket Lab says the next 100 Electron missions are already booked, and it is producing one rocket every eight days. If that manifest holds and cadence stays near recent levels, the second hundred flights arrive faster than the first. A launch failure or a customer pulling a contract would slow it.

iQPS reaches 24 satellites in orbit by May 2028

Possible Resolves by May 31, 2028

Discussed by: iQPS constellation planning reported by The Space Tap

iQPS has said it aims for 24 satellites in orbit by May 2028, with seven more dedicated Electron launches booked through 2030. Hitting the target depends on Rocket Lab's schedule and on iQPS building and testing satellites fast enough to fill the rides.

Neutron reaches orbit while Electron is still the company's only flying rocket

Uncertain Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Space industry press tracking Rocket Lab's medium-lift program

Rocket Lab describes Electron as laying the operational foundation for Neutron, its larger rocket. Neutron's first flight has been the company's central open question for years. If Neutron slips again, Electron keeps carrying the entire manifest and the revenue that comes with it.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

March 2006 – September 2008

SpaceX Falcon 1 (2006–2008)

SpaceX spent its early years trying to put a small liquid-fueled rocket into orbit on a startup budget. The first three launches failed. The fourth, in September 2008, succeeded and made Falcon 1 the first privately developed liquid-fuel rocket to reach orbit.

Then

SpaceX had a working orbital rocket and a NASA contract to keep going.

Now

The company abandoned Falcon 1 for the much larger Falcon 9, which became the dominant launch vehicle in the world.

Why this matters now

Falcon 1 showed that a small rocket can be a stepping stone rather than a destination. Rocket Lab is making the same bet with Electron and Neutron.

April 1990

Pegasus (1990)

Orbital Sciences launched Pegasus from under a B-52 bomber, making it the first privately developed rocket to reach orbit. It proved a commercial company could build and fly an orbital launcher without a government program.

Then

Pegasus won small-satellite customers and a niche in the market.

Now

The market stayed small for decades, and Pegasus flew infrequently as demand for dedicated small launch did not materialize at scale.

Why this matters now

Pegasus is the cautionary version of Electron's story: a technically successful small rocket whose business stayed niche. Electron's 100 launches are the first time a small launcher has sustained real cadence.

January 2021 onward

SpaceX rideshare Transporter missions (2021–)

SpaceX began bundling dozens of small satellites onto single Falcon 9 flights, with Transporter-1 carrying 143 spacecraft in January 2021. The price per small satellite fell sharply compared with a dedicated rocket.

Then

Small-satellite operators gained a cheap option, and several dedicated small-launch startups struggled to find customers.

Now

Dedicated launch survived where schedule and orbit precision mattered more than price, which is the segment Rocket Lab targets.

Why this matters now

Electron's 100 launches happened despite rideshare competition. The iQPS contract, with 11 dedicated flights, shows why constellation operators still pay for their own rocket.