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Rocket Lab Tests New Kick Stage On Electron Rocket

By Marc Selinger

Monday, January 29th, 2018

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Rocket Lab, whose new Electron launch vehicle recently reached orbit for the first time, revealed Jan. 23 that the rocket included a previously undisclosed kick stage designed to increase orbital options for small satellites.During its Jan. 21 mission, the Electron lifted off from New Zealand and deployed three small satellites: a Planet Dove Pioneer for Earth imaging and two Spire Lemur-2s for weather and ship tracking. While the rocket’s second stage deployed the Dove, the kick stage coasted for about 40 minutes before firing…

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