Rocket Lab makes it into orbit, nears commercial operations

Rocket Lab

Last Sunday afternoon in New Zealand, Rocket Lab successfully made it into orbit on just the company's second flight attempt. Launching from a new spaceport that juts into the South Pacific Ocean, the Electron rocket climbed into orbit and deployed its customer payloads at 8 minutes and 31 seconds after lifting off.

"Today marks the beginning of a new era in commercial access to space. We're thrilled to reach this milestone so quickly after our first test launch," Rocket Lab CEO and founder Peter Beck said in a statement. "Our incredibly dedicated and talented team have worked tirelessly to develop, build and launch Electron. I'm immensely proud of what they have achieved today."

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