Two Earth-observation satellites lost in Rocketlab launch failure

A Rocketlab Electron booster thundered away from the company's picturesque New Zealand launch site Saturday, but the rocket's two-satellite payload was lost when the vehicle suffered a malfunction just after second stage engine ignition two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff.

Counting an initial test flight in 2017, it was the third failure in 20 launchings of Rocketlab's innovative 60-foot-tall Electron rocket, designed to lift small satellites to orbit that might otherwise have to wait for rides aboard larger, more expensive boosters. It was not immediately known what went wrong, what might be required to fix it or when flights might resume. But the mishap was Rocketlab's second failure in the last eight flights, a disheartening setback in the company's drive to secure a major role in the small satellite launch market.