Rocket Lab’s latest Electron launch deal its biggest yet

Rocket Lab has signed an agreement with Japanese Earth observation company Synspective for 10 more Electron launches, the largest agreement in Rocket Lab's history. Photo / Trevor Mahlmann

Rocket Lab has signed the largest Electron launch agreement in the company’s history – a 10-launch deal with Japanese Earth observation company Synspective.

The agreement was announced in Tokyo at an event attended by Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Sir Peter Beck, Synspective founder and CEO Dr Motoyuki Arai and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who is in Japan with a business delegation.

Rocket Lab has been the sole launch provider for Synspective since 2020, successfully launching four missions for the Japanese Earth observation company to date, it said in a statement.

The company has been launching for Synspective since 2020 when it deployed the first satellite in its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation, which is designed to deliver imagery that can detect millimetre-level changes to the Earth’s surface from space.

Since that first mission, Rocket Lab has been the sole launch provider for Synspective’s StriX constellation to date, successfully deploying four StriX satellites across four Electron launches.

In addition to the 10 new dedicated launches signed yesterday, another two launches for Synspective have already been booked and have been scheduled for launch this year from Launch Complex 1 at Māhia. The launches will take place across 2025 to 2027.

“Japan’s space industry is one of the fastest growing globally and we’re excited to be enabling this growth through the unique collaboration of a US rocket and a New Zealand launch site, delivering an unprecedented level of tailored access to orbit for Japanese small satellites,” Beck said.

Synspective’s small SAR satellites, StriX, are equipped with an SAR sensor, which can observe the Earth’s surface in any weather condition day or night. Not affected by clouds or rain, SAR is suitable for persistent monitoring of disasters and detailed changes to secure critical infrastructure and other facilities.