Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB), a leading global provider of launch services and space systems, has successfully completed its 51st Electron rocket launch. The mission, which deployed a single satellite for Synspective, a Japanese Earth-imaging company, took place early on August 3rd NZT (16:39 UTC, August 2nd) from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula.
Named “Owl For One, One For Owl” in reference to Synspective’s StriX satellites, the launch saw the deployment of the fifth StriX SAR-imaging satellite into low Earth orbit. Rocket Lab not only provided the launch service but also customized an Electron fairing for the satellite and performed an advanced mid-mission maneuver with Electron’s Kick Stage to shield the satellite from the sun and minimize radiation exposure during its orbital journey.
To date, Rocket Lab has been the exclusive launch provider for Synspective’s constellation. This mission marked the fifth of 16 launches booked for Synspective on Electron and the second launch of the year for the company, following the “Owl Night Long” mission in March 2024. Additionally, Synspective recently secured ten dedicated Electron launches as part of a new multi-launch agreement announced in June 2024, with these launches scheduled from 2025 to 2027.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck commented, “It’s fantastic to have completed our second mission for Synspective in just five months, reinforcing our strong launch partnership. Electron is perfectly suited for providing flexible, customized, and direct access to orbit for constellation builders like Synspective, and I’m proud of our team for achieving this latest mission success.
Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft components, and on-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier, and more affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small orbital launch vehicle, a family of flight proven spacecraft, and the Company is developing the large Neutron launch vehicle for constellation deployment. Since its first orbital launch in January 2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered 190+ satellites to orbit for private and public sector organizations, enabling operations in national security, scientific research, space debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications. Rocket Lab’s family of spacecraft have been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus.
