Rocket Lab's Electron rocket. Photo courtesy of Rocket Lab. Rocket Lab has concluded that its May 15 mission failed as a result of an issue with its Electron rocket's second stage igniter system around three minutes and 20 seconds into the flight that caused the engine to shut down, the company recently announced. The mission, dubbed "Running Out of Toes," was carrying two Earth-observing satellites for geospatial intelligence firm BlackSky's global monitoring constellation. The second stage of the rocket along with the two satellites were destroyed during atmospheric re-entry, spokeswoman Murielle Baker said in an email. The company determined the previously undetectable failure within its Rutherford engine's ignition system only occurs under a unique set of environmental pressures and conditions, which Rocket Lab was able to reliably replicate.