Rocket Lab Electron "It's A Test" May 25th 2017

These are 1/72 scale decals for the Rocket Lab Electron launch vehicle as it appeared on 25 May 2017 during its inaugural flight — mission "It's A Test" — launched from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 on the Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand, marking the debut of one of the most innovative and consequential small launch vehicles of the modern space age.

The Electron is a two-stage orbital launch vehicle developed by Rocket Lab, founded by New Zealand-American entrepreneur Peter Beck, designed specifically to serve the rapidly growing market for dedicated small satellite launches. At just 17 meters tall and capable of carrying up to 300 kilograms to low Earth orbit, Electron occupies a unique niche — small enough to launch frequently and affordably, yet capable enough to deliver commercial and government payloads to precise orbits on dedicated missions rather than as rideshare passengers on larger rockets. Its Rutherford engines, named after New Zealand physicist Ernest Rutherford, are among the first rocket engines in history to use electric pump-fed propellant delivery and to be 3D-printed in their entirety — a manufacturing breakthrough that dramatically reduces production time and cost.

The "It's A Test" mission on 25 May 2017 was a partial success — the vehicle performed well through first stage flight and stage separation, but a ground systems communication issue caused the rocket to be terminated before reaching orbit. Rather than a setback, the flight demonstrated the fundamental soundness of the Electron design and provided invaluable data for the program. Rocket Lab went on to achieve orbit on its second flight in January 2018, and Electron has since become one of the world's most frequently launched small rockets, with Rocket Lab also pioneering booster recovery and reuse — catching returning first stages by helicopter — to further reduce launch costs.

A landmark subject from the dawn of the dedicated small launch vehicle era. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.