[[Home|🏠]] <span style="color: LightSlateGray">></span> <span class="no-hover">[[Launches]]</span> <span style="color: LightSlateGray">></span> 001 - It's a Test
>[!failure] Mission Failure
>[!summary]
**It's a Test** was the first flight of Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle. The mission, launched from [[Launch Complex 1]] on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula, marked a significant milestone as the first orbital-class rocket launched from a private launch site.
>
Despite not reaching orbit, the mission successfully demonstrated key systems including a perfect first stage burn, stage separation, second stage ignition, and fairing separation, putting Rocket Lab in a strong position for future commercial operations.
#electron #launch #failure
| **Mission Name** | It's a Test |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Launch Date** | 2017-05-25 04:20 |
| **Outcome** | ❌ Failure |
| **Customer** | N/A |
| **Location** | [[Launch Complex 1#Launch Pad A]] |
| **Vehicle** | [[Electron]] |
| **Orbit Type** | [[🌍 Orbits#LEO]] |
| **Target Orbit** | 500 km | 85° |
| **Payload Mass** | 0 kg |
| **Recovery** | No Attempt |
| **Mission Link** | [It's a Test](https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/missions-launched/its-a-test/) |
![[Pasted image 20250406125925.png|300]]
## 📽️ Launch Video
<div class="responsive-video">
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5Nyf035NKy4" title="Rocket Lab's Electron - It's a Test Mission" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
## ✏️ Notes
- "Rocket Lab’s investigation team determined the launch, named ‘It’s a Test’, was terminated due to a data loss time out, which was caused by misconfiguration of telemetry equipment owned and operated by a third-party contractor who was supporting the launch from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1."
- Being the first [[Electron]] launch, there was no customer payload.
## 📰 News
%%DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: start
```
table published as "Published"
from "News"
where contains(mission, [[001 - It's a Test]])
sort published desc
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| File | Published |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------- |
| [[News/'It's a Test' - Live News Updates Rocket Lab.md\|'It's a Test' - Live News Updates Rocket Lab]] | August 24, 2017 |
| [[News/Rocket Lab Completes Post-Flight Analysis for Electron 'Its a Test'.md\|Rocket Lab Completes Post-Flight Analysis for Electron 'Its a Test']] | August 07, 2017 |
| [[News/Rocket Lab Electron 'Its a Test' flight successfully makes it to space.md\|Rocket Lab Electron 'Its a Test' flight successfully makes it to space]] | May 25, 2017 |
| [[News/'It's a Test' update.md\|'It's a Test' update]] | May 24, 2017 |
| [[News/'It's a Test' - Live News Updates (1).md\|'It's a Test' - Live News Updates (1)]] | May 23, 2017 |
| [[News/'It's a Test' - Live News Updates (2).md\|'It's a Test' - Live News Updates (2)]] | May 23, 2017 |
| [[News/'It's a Test' - Media Advisory on Viewing a Launch of Rocket Lab's Electron Vehicle.md\|'It's a Test' - Media Advisory on Viewing a Launch of Rocket Lab's Electron Vehicle]] | May 19, 2017 |
| [[News/'It's a Test' - Press Kit.md\|'It's a Test' - Press Kit]] | May 19, 2017 |
| [[News/Electron Test Launch Window Announced.md\|Electron Test Launch Window Announced]] | May 15, 2017 |
%%DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: end %%