Outer space

Rocket Lab may try to launch its Electron rocket for the first time today

The Electron rocket may launch for the first time on May 22, 2017. If it does, it probably won't be wearing these roller skates.

Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket is only 55 feet tall. That’s puny compared to SpaceX’s 230-foot Falcon 9, but size isn’t everything. The Electron could become a powerful system for putting small satellites into space for cheap—the company estimates each launch will cost $5 million compared to SpaceX’s (already very cheap) $60 million. And this week, it may fly for the very first time.

The launch window at the launch pad in Mahia, New Zealand opened on May 21. That launch attempt was scrubbed due to high winds, so Rocket Lab's gonna try again today. The Electron will not carry a payload, but if all goes well, its second stage will make it into orbit, which is a pretty significant achievement for a space startup. Even Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle only goes into suborbital space.