Rocket Lab Launches First Mission Since May Failure

After a quiet start to the summer, Rocket Lab USA Inc. is back in action. 
 
The Long Beach-based company had its first successful rocket launch July 28 since its failed mission in May. The mission, called “It’s a Little Chile Up Here,” took off from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula at 11 p.m. Pacific Time. The mission was the company’s 21st with its Electron rocket and its fourth this year.
 
For this launch, Rocket Lab was contracted by the Space Force to deploy a demonstration satellite called Monolith into low Earth orbit. The mission was the company’s second on behalf of the Space Force.
 
“Programs like the Rapid Agile Launch Initiative are shining a light on the crucial role small launch can play in supporting fast-paced innovation in orbit to support innovation and space capabilities,” Rocket Lab founder and Chief Executive Peter Beck said in a statement.  

Rocket Lab took a hiatus from launches after a failed mission May 15 when a rocket’s stage two engine shut down roughly three minutes into the flight.
 
The company said July 19 that a “previously undetectable” failure mode set off by a unique set of environmental conditions caused the anomaly. Rocket Lab said “corrective measures” have been taken to increase the rocket’s reliability. Though the rocket’s second stage failed, the first performed “flawlessly,” the company said, and will be reused in future missions.