Rocket Lab signs launch deal with Japanese Earth-imaging company

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Space company Rocket Lab intends to launch its latest mission from Māhia next Thursday, after the launch was delayed by technical problems with the Electron rocket.

The company announced yesterday that it will be launching from Māhia again in a matter of weeks, having signed a deal to launch an Earth observation satellite for the Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space Inc. (iQPS), a Japan-based Earth imaging company.

iQPS was originally manifested on another launch vehicle, but iQPS has now selected Rocket Lab to launch QPS-SAR-5 on a dedicated Electron mission to expedite the deployment.

The launch is scheduled for lift-off in September and will carry iQPS’s QPS-SAR-5 satellite named “TSUKUYOMI-I” into orbit on a dedicated Electron mission from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 at Māhia.

The mission has been named “The Moon God Awakens” in acknowledgement of Tsukuyomi, the god of the Moon in Japanese mythology.

“This is exactly the kind of mission Electron was designed for and has delivered on time and time again — a customer urgently seeking dedicated launch to a unique orbit on a rapid timeline,” Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck said.

“We’re delighted to deliver that capability to our new partners at iQPS and keep their mission on schedule.

“iQPS’ SAR technology can play a vital role in disaster prevention, marine monitoring, infrastructure management, agriculture, and more. The sooner their spacecraft is in orbit, the faster those capabilities can be delivered — so we’re grateful for the opportunity to make iQPS’ mission possible with a dependable launch service.”

QPS-SAR-5 is a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite that will join a constellation after QPS-SAR-6 already in orbit.

iQPS’s satellites are small, high-performance SAR satellites that use a lightweight, large, stowable antenna to collect high resolution images of Earth, even through clouds and adverse weather conditions.

Ultimately, the iQPS constellation is planned to have 36 satellites capable of monitoring specific fixed points on Earth every 10 minutes.