Rocket Lab Mission Fails to
Reach Orbit
July 4, 2020
Following a successful lift-off,
first stage burn, and stage separation, Rocket Lab
experienced an anomaly during its 13th Electron mission
‘Pics Or It Didn’t Happen.’
The issue occurred approximately
four minutes into the flight on July 4, 2020 and
resulted in the safe loss of the vehicle. As a result,
the payloads onboard Electron were not deployed to
orbit. Electron remained within the predicted launch
corridors and caused no harm to personnel or the launch
site. Rocket Lab is working closely with the FAA to
investigate the anomaly and identify its root cause to
correct the issue to move forward.
“We are deeply sorry to our
customers Spaceflight Inc., Canon Electronics Inc.,
Planet, and In-Space Missions for the loss of their
payloads. We know many people poured their hearts and
souls into those spacecraft. Today's anomaly is a
reminder that space launch can be unforgiving, but we
will identify the issue, rectify it, and be safely back
on the pad as soon as possible,” said Peter Beck, Rocket
Lab founder and CEO. “The launch team operated with
professionalism and expertise to implement systems and
procedures that ensured the anomaly was managed safely.
I’m proud of the way they have responded to a tough day.
We’re working together as a team to comb through the
data, learn from today, and prepare for our next
mission.”
Today's anomaly occurred after 11
consecutive successful orbital launches of the Electron
launch vehicle. Rocket Lab currently has more than eight
Electron vehicles in production, ready for a rapid
return to flight as soon as investigations are complete
and any required corrective actions are in place.
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