Rocket Lab Electron Aspera
Electron
Status
TBD
Date
29 JAN 2027
00:00
Launch Provider
Rocket Lab
Launch Pad
Unknown Pad
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
Mission Overview
Aspera houses an ultraviolet telescope and will examine hot gas in the intergalactic medium, thought to be contributing to the birth of stars and planets. Aspera will be the first NASA astrophysics mission to gather and map these ultraviolet light signatures, potentially unlocking a deeper understanding of the origins of stars, planets, and life in the universe.
Rocket
Electron
Mission Type
Astrophysics
Orbit
Low Earth Orbit
Stages
3
Livestream
Not availableRocket Details
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.
Height
18 m
Diameter
1.2 m
Launch Mass
13 T
Thrust
162 kN
