Flight proven, configurable spacecraft for missions from low earth orbit through to planetary destinations
Launch, satellite, ground services, and on-orbit mission operations in a turn-key package.
Reliable, flexible, and affordable satellite and spacecraft solutions that enable our customers to do more, spend less, and reach orbit faster.
Rocket Lab-built satellites enable missions in low Earth orbit, through to planetary science and exploration missions to the Moon, Mars, Venus and beyond.
- Photon is an integrated launch and satellite solution
- Rocket Lab’s Photon small spacecraft is based on the heritage Electron launch vehicle Kick Stage, leveraging numerous components that have significant flight heritage, including the Curie engine, an in-house designed and developed in-space propulsion system
- Photon flies as the upper stage of Electron, eliminating the parasitic mass of deployed spacecraft and enabling full utilization of the fairing
- Photon can also fly on other launch vehicles, in particular using ESPA ports as a secondary payload
- Vertically integrated with in-house subsystems based on constellation-scale manufacturing capabilities
- Precision attitude determination and control sensors and actuators from Sinclair Interplanetary by Rocket Lab
- Configurable for a range missions in LEO, MEO, GEO, and beyond, including lunar and planetary
A record of mission success
22 Kick Stages successfully deployed to orbit
3 Photons spacecraft operatingin orbit
90+ missions with Sinclair by Rocket Lab designed and built flight hardware
Each spacecraft tailored to your mission
As a configurable platform, Photon can be tailored to meet your unique mission requirements. From mass manufacture as a streamlined constellation offering, to a single customized technology demonstration spacecraft, Photon can easily be adapted to make your mission possible.
Mission Opportunities
Photon is the complete spacecraft solution for a range of missions.
- Constellations
- Weather
- Earth Observation
- Communications
- Hosted Payloads
- Technology Demonstrations
- Planetary Science and Exploration
