Rocket Lab launches QPS-SAR-9 satellite in latest Electron mission

Rocket Lab launches QPS-SAR-9 satellite in latest Electron mission
by Simon Mansfield
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 17, 2025

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) successfully completed its 61st Electron launch, marking the company's second mission for Japanese satellite operator Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (iQPS).

The mission, named "The Lightning God Reigns," lifted off from Launch Complex 1 at Mahia, New Zealand, on March 15, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. NZDT (00:00 UTC). The Electron rocket delivered iQPS' QPS-SAR-9 satellite into a circular orbit 575 kilometers above Earth. This launch follows a December 2023 mission in which Rocket Lab deployed another SAR satellite for iQPS, supporting the development of its radar imaging satellite network.

This successful deployment is the first of eight planned launches for iQPS under one of Rocket Lab's largest launch contracts. The agreement includes five more missions in 2025 and two in 2026, all contributing to iQPS' vision of a 36-satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation. The system is designed to deliver high-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night Earth observation capabilities worldwide.

Rocket Lab's next mission for iQPS is targeted for no earlier than May 2025. The company's founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, emphasized the significance of Electron's role in enabling constellation missions: "Congratulations to the Rocket Lab and iQPS teams on yet another successful mission together. Every Electron launch in 2025 so far has been to expand a satellite constellation and with this latest mission success, you can see why. Electron provides our customers with total flexibility and control over their schedule, orbit, and other critical mission elements to create their constellation exactly as they need it. We're looking forward to continuing our constellation build out for iQPS this year and next."

Dr. Shunsuke Onishi, CEO of iQPS, highlighted the collaboration's efficiency: "I sincerely appreciate the dedication and hard work of the teams at iQPS and Rocket Lab in making this launch mission a success, and I am truly impressed by the short timeline from QPS-SAR-9's departure from Fukuoka, Japan, through its journey via Mahia Peninsula, to its successful deployment into LEO. As we prepare for the launch of seven more QPS-SARs between this year and next year, I am reassured by the reliability and efficiency of Electron in executing missions like this one."

Rocket Lab is set to launch its next mission from Launch Complex 1 in just three days, with liftoff scheduled for March 18, 2025 NZDT.