Rocket Lab successfully launches Electron rocket

Rocket Lab has successfully launched its seventh Electron rocket.

On Saturday at 4:30pm, Rocket Lab's 'Make It Rain' mission was initiated, with its Electron rocket carrying seven small satellites, taking off from Mahia Peninsula.

The rideshare mission, procured by Spaceflight, will see the satellites taken to low Earth orbit. After the launch, Rocket Lab head Peter Beck said it was a "perfect flight".

The satellites on board included two US Special Operations Command Prometheus satellites, a BlackSky Global-3 microsatellite, and one from the Melbourne Space Programme. 

The total payload has a mass of 80kg.

Roughly 56 minutes after the rocket's launch, the payloads were delivered to their orbit points.

"Congratulations to the dedicated teams behind the payloads on this mission, and also to our team for another flawless Electron launch," said Beck in a statement.

"It's a privilege to provide tailored and reliable access to space for small satellites like these, giving each one a smooth ride to orbit and precise deployment, even in a rideshare arrangement."

It's Electron's third launch in 2019 and brings the number of satellites deployed to orbit by Rocket Lab to 35.

Newshub.