Connect with us

News

Rocket Lab’s reusable Electron rocket upgrade gets ready for its biggest test yet

Rocket Lab's groundbreaking Electron rocket is being upgraded for reusability and its next launch is set to debut some new hardware. (Rocket Lab)

Published

6 years ago

on

Rocket Lab, the global leader in dedicated small satellite launches, has had quite the productive year, breaking ground on a new U.S.-based launch pad, successfully launching five orbital launches, and announcing plans to send small satellites and small payloads to lunar orbits.

The company also unexpectedly announced plans to attempt to recover and reuse Electron rocket boosters much like SpaceX’s Falcon 9, perhaps as soon as 2020. Just three months after that surprise, the company’s tenth Electron launch is on track to serve as a crucial step and flight test in pursuit of Rocket Lab’s very first booster recovery attempts.

Electron Flight 10 has slipped about a week but is now on track to lift off no earlier than 11:56 pm EST, November 28th (07:56 UTC, Nov 29).

Booster recovery – the new not new rocket version of reduce, reuse, recycle

Rocket Lab explained that recovery efforts would occur in two distinct phases. Phase 1 would involve recovering expended Electron boosters from the ocean off the coast of New Zealand and transporting back to the Rocket Lab’s headquarters for careful inspection. This process is reminiscent of previous practices completed by NASA during the shuttle era to retrieve the Shuttle’s Solid Rocket Boosters from the Atlantic Ocean. The boosters were retrieved and towed back to Port Canaveral, Florida to be inspected and refurbished at Kennedy Space Center.

The towing ship, Liberty, towed a recovered solid rocket booster (SRB) for the STS-3 mission to Port Canaveral, Florida. The recovered SRB would be inspected and refurbished for reuse.  The requirement for reusability dictated durable materials and construction to preclude corrosion of the hardware exposed to the harsh seawater environment.  (NASA)

Although rocket booster recovery is not new in the world of orbital rocketry, it is a new objective for Rocket Lab. In fact, founder Peter Beck stated he would have to “eat his hat” after previously and repeatedly stating that Rocket Lab would never pursue reusability for Electron. After Phase 1, Rocket Lab hopes to attempt its first true Electron ‘catches’. Unlike competitor SpaceX, whose Falcon 9 and Heavy boosters land propulsively on land or sea-based landing pads, Rocket Lab has opted to pursue Electron recovery with parachutes and grappling hook-equipped helicopters.

Following in SpaceX’s footsteps, Rocket Lab wants to become the second company in the world to reuse orbital-class rocket boosters. (USAF/Rocket Lab)

Electron’s upcoming tenth launch – nicknamed “Running Out of Fingers,” – will feature a new block upgrade for Electron’s first stage booster and will mark the first flight test of recovery hardware. Cold gas attitude control thrusters are the most obvious addition on the upgraded booster and will be used to orient Electron first stages in lieu of aerodynamic control surfaces like SpaceX’s iconic choice of grid fins. In a statement, however, Rocket Lab clarified that although the first stage includes new upgrades, it will only be used to gather data and inform future recovery efforts – no recovery attempts will be made after the next few launches.

Electron Flight 10 is a common rideshare mission that will place seven small satellites in orbit. Among the payloads is a rather fascinating spacecraft called the 2nd Satellite or ALE-2, built by the Tokoyo based ALE Company.

Advertisement

According to a statement posted to the company’s website, the spacecraft “will take on the challenge of materializing a [human]-made shooting star.” The spacecraft produced in conjunction with Spaceflight features four hundred spheres – each 1cm in diameter – that will be gradually ejected to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, creating artificial shooting stars.

Behind the scenes at LC-1 and HQ

Rocket Lab provides an inside look at its Launch Complex-1 launch experience facility offering panoramic views of an Electron launch in person in Mahia, New Zealand. (Rocket Lab)

Ahead of the all-important tenth Electron launch, Rocket Lab treated its social media followers to some rare glimpses into the production process and the stunning Launch Complex-1 (LC-1) located on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. A video posted to YouTube takes viewers on a digital tour around Launch Complex -1 as well as inside the Electron Production Complex.

In the Production Complex, a revolutionary robot named “Rosie” provides a level of automation that takes over the tedious work of processing a rocket body that has been traditionally completed by humans. Rosie the Robot is able to process an entire carbon composite shell of the Electron booster in just twelve hours. The automation machine also finishes out Rocket Lab’s Kick Stage and protective payload fairings. The piece of processing machinery will assist Rocket Lab in matching production and launch frequency of the Electron rocket with the 120 launches per year that LC-1 is licensed to support.

Rocket Lab’s tenth Electron launch is currently on track for Friday, December 6th from 0756-0922 GMT (2:56-4:22 a.m. EST).

Related Topics:

Space Reporter.

Advertisement
Comments

Investor's Corner

Stifel raises Tesla price target by 9.8% over FSD, Robotaxi advancements

Stifel also maintained a “Buy” rating for the electric vehicle maker.

Published

17 minutes ago

on

October 8, 2025

By

Credit: Tesla China

Investment firm Stifel has raised its price target for Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares to $483 from $440 over increased confidence in the company’s self-driving and Robotaxi programs. The new price target suggests an 11.5% upside from Tesla’s closing price on Tuesday.

Stifel also maintained a “Buy” rating despite acknowledging that Tesla’s timeline for fully unsupervised driving may be ambitious.

Building confidence

In a note to clients, Stifel stated that it believes “Tesla is making progress with modest advancements in its Robotaxi network and FSD,” as noted in a report from Investing.com. The firm expects unsupervised FSD to become available for personal use in the U.S. by the end of 2025, with a wider ride-hailing rollout potentially covering half of the U.S. population by year-end.

Stifel also noted that Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet could expand from “tiny to gigantic” within a short time frame, possibly making a material financial impact to the company by late 2026. The firm views Tesla’s vision-based approach to autonomy as central to this long-term growth, suggesting that continued advancements could unlock new revenue streams across both consumer and mobility sectors.

Tesla’s FSD goals still ambitious

While Stifel’s tone remains optimistic, the firm’s analysts acknowledged that Tesla’s aggressive autonomy timeline may face execution challenges. The note described the 2025 unsupervised FSD target as “a stretch,” though still achievable in the medium term.

Advertisement

“We believe Tesla is making progress with modest advancements in its Robotaxi network and FSD. The company has high expectations for its camera-based approach including; 1) Unsupervised FSD to be available for personal use in the United States by year-end 2025, which appears to be a stretch but seems more likely in the medium term; 2) that it will ‘probably have ride hailing in probably half of the populations of the U.S. by the end of the year’,” the firm noted.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla Cybertruck gets Full Self-Driving v14 release date, sort of

Published

17 hours ago

on

October 7, 2025

By

Tesla Cybertruck owners are wondering when they will get access to the company’s Full Self-Driving version 14.1 that rolled out to other owners today for the first time.

Cybertruck owners typically receive Full Self-Driving updates slightly later than other drivers, as the process for the all-electric pickup is different. It is a larger vehicle that requires some additional attention from Tesla before FSD versions are rolled out, so they will be slightly delayed. CEO Elon Musk said the all-wheel steering technically requires a bit more attention before rollout as well.

After some owners got access to the v14.1 Full Self-Driving suite this morning, Cybertruck owners sought out a potential timeframe for when they would be able to experience things for themselves.

Tesla owners show off improvements with new Full Self-Driving v14 rollout

They were able to get an answer from Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s Head of AI, who said:

“We got you. Coming soon.”

The release of FSD v14.1 for Cybertruck will not be tempered, either. Elluswamy then confirmed that Tesla would be rolling out the full-featured FSD v14 for the pickup, meaning it would be able to reverse and park itself, among other features.

Elluswamy said it would be capable of these features, which were void in other FSD releases for Cybertruck in the past.

Tesla’s rollout of FSD v14.1 brings several extremely notable changes and improvements to the suite, including more refined operation in parking garages, a new ability to choose parking preferences upon arriving at your destination, a new driving mode called “Sloth,” which is even more reserved than “Chill,” and general operational improvements.

Those who were lucky enough to receive the suite have already started showing off the improvements, and they definitely seem to be a step up from what v13’s more recent versions were capable of.

CEO Elon Musk called v14 “sentient” a few weeks back, and it seems that it is moving toward that. However, he did state that additional releases with more capabilities would be available in the coming weeks, but many owners are still waiting for this first version.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla launches two new affordable models with ‘Standard’ Model 3, Y offerings

It is the first time Tesla has revealed any details about what it planned to launch in terms of its new, lower-cost vehicles, which are mainly aimed at countering the loss of the $7,500 EV tax credit.

Published

20 hours ago

on

October 7, 2025

By

Credit: Tesla

Tesla has officially launched its affordable models with the new Model 3 and Model Y ‘Standard’ versions hitting the company’s Online Design Studio on Tuesday.

It is the first time Tesla has revealed any details about what it planned to launch in terms of its new, lower-cost vehicles, which are mainly aimed at countering the loss of the $7,500 EV tax credit.

Here’s what Tesla went with for its release of the new affordable models.

Tesla Model Y ‘Standard’

The Model Y Standard is a stripped-down version of the all-electric crossover and starts at $39,990.

Deliveries are slated for November and December, the company says if you plan to order one, and it comes with a few major changes to improve efficiency and bring down cost for owners.

  • New athletically tuned exterior and new alloy wheels to improve aerodynamics
  • 15.4″ touchscreen in the front, the same as the other trims
  • Available in three colors: Stealth Grey (free), White ($1,oo0 extra), Diamond Black ($1,500 extra)
  • Textile and vegan leather interior
  • Range sits at 321 miles
  • New front fascia
  • Covered glass roof (textile on inside)
  • Windows are not acoustically laminated for a quieter cabin
  • Manual mirrors and seats
  • Smaller frunk
  • No rear infotainment screen
  • No basic Autopilot
  • 69 kWh battery
  • New 19″ Aperture wheels
  • 0-60 MPH in 6.8 seconds
  • 7 speaker stereo, down from 15 speakers in premium models

Tesla Model 3 ‘Standard’

The Model 3 Standard was a surprise offering from Tesla, as many had only anticipated the company to refine and offer a more affordable version of the Model Y.

Coming in at $36,990, it features many of the same changes Tesla made with the Model Y “Standard,” all ways to improve price and make it less flashy than the more premium offerings.

Deliveries are also slated for November for this vehicle, and it features relatively the same stripped-down offerings as the Model Y Standard.

  • Available in three colors: Stealth Grey (free), White ($1,oo0 extra), Diamond Black ($1,500 extra)
  • Textile and vegan leather interior
  • Range sits at 321 miles
  • Covered glass roof (textile on inside)
  • Manual mirrors and seats
  • No rear infotainment screen
  • No basic Autopilot
  • 69 kWh battery
  • New 19″ Aperture wheels
  • 0-60 MPH in 6.8 seconds
  • 7 speaker stereo, down from 15 speakers in premium models
@teslarati 🚨 Tesla’s Affordable Models are here! Let’s talk about them! #tesla #fyp #viral #teslaev #elonmusk ♬ Natural Emotions – Muspace Lofi

Continue Reading

Trending