How Much Does a Dedicated Electron Launch Cost?
Short answer: Rocket Lab publishes no list price, but its launch revenue averaged about $9.2M per launch in the first half of 2026 (up from $7.5M a year earlier; Electron and HASTE launches together). Electron carries up to 300 kg to low Earth orbit (200 kg to sun-synchronous orbit), so at that average a full rocket is $30,670/kg, against $7,000/kg ($2.1M for 300 kg) on a SpaceX rideshare. The difference is the price of choosing your own orbit, inclination and launch date, being the primary payload, and flying from Mahia in New Zealand or Wallops Island in Virginia on your schedule.
List and rideshare prices as of 2026-10-11. Figures track the launch cost guide; contract prices vary.
Price by option
| Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated Electron (average launch revenue) | about $9.2M | Rocket Lab publishes no Electron list price. Its launch revenue averaged about $9.2M per launch in the first half of 2026 (Electron and HASTE together). Up to 300 kg to LEO, 200 kg to SSO; Rocket Lab quotes per mission. |
| Per kilogram at a full 300 kg | $30,670/kg | Arithmetic at the average; the best case. A lighter payload pays the same total |
| Per kilogram at the 200 kg SSO capacity | $46,000/kg | Sun-synchronous orbit costs performance, so the effective rate rises |
| Same 300 kg on a SpaceX rideshare | ~$2.1M | $7,000/kg (2026 flights), the mission's orbit and date |
| The dedicated premium | ~$7.1M | Arithmetic: what you pay for your orbit, your date and primary-payload status |
The costs that are not on the price list
- Range and licensing: a launch from Mahia falls under New Zealand and US rules, a launch from Wallops under the FAA; export-control paperwork for a US-built satellite flying abroad takes months.
- Transporting the satellite and its team to a remote launch site and keeping them there through slips.
- Kick-stage or precision-insertion options, priced per mission.
- Schedule risk: a dedicated mission waits for you, but you also wait for the rocket. Weather holds and range conflicts land on your calendar.
- Insurance, if bought, is quoted per mission.
Frequently asked
Is Electron cheaper than a SpaceX rideshare?
No: per kilogram it is several times more ($30,670/kg at Rocket Lab's average launch revenue, versus $7,000/kg). What it sells is a dedicated ride to your own orbit.
When is a dedicated Electron worth it?
When the orbit matters more than the money: a specific inclination or altitude no rideshare is visiting, a fixed date, a technology demonstration that needs to be the primary payload, or a customer who cannot share a manifest.
Where does Electron launch from?
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand and Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Island, Virginia. Our launches-by-site pages track both.
Run your own numbers
Mass, orbit, vehicle, insurance: the calculator does the delivered-cost math.
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Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. Prices change; dates show when each was published or read.
- Rocket Lab launch revenue averaged $9.2M per launch in the first half of 2026 (Rocket Lab Form 10-Q (six months to June 30, 2026), 2026-08-10)
- Electron payload figures (300 kg LEO, 200 kg SSO) (Rocket Lab, 2026-10-09)
- SpaceX rideshare price list: $7,000/kg for 2026 flights, $7,500/kg for 2027, 50 kg minimum (SpaceX (rideshare price list behind rideshare.spacex.com), 2026-10-11)
- Rocket Lab launch sites: LC-1 Mahia Peninsula, LC-2 Wallops Island (New Space Economy, 2024-07-17)
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