American Made Advocacy: Success in Washington Requires Patience, Persistence, and Sustained Focus
The Government Circuit: News on Defense Electronics, Europe, and Sustainability
Defense Speak Interpreted: SWaPing Nanosatellites for Defense Systems
Rocket Lab Successfully Completes Latest Launch for Synspective
August 5, 2024 | BUSINESS WIREEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Rocket Lab USA, Inc., a global leader in launch services and space systems, today successfully launched its 51st Electron rocket and deployed a single satellite to low Earth orbit for Synspective, a Japanese Earth-imaging company.
The mission, named “Owl For One, One For Owl” in a nod to Synspective’s StriX satellites named after the genus for owls, lifted off at 04:39 a.m., August 3rd NZT (16:39 UTC, August 2nd) from Launch Complex 1, Rocket Lab’s private orbital launch site on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. The mission deployed the fifth of Synspective’s StriX SAR-imaging satellites to low Earth orbit. In addition to the launch service, Rocket Lab provided a custom Electron fairing to encapsulate the StriX satellite and also performed an advanced mid-mission maneuver with Electron’s Kick Stage to shield the satellite from the sun and reduce radiation exposure on its way to orbit.
Rocket Lab has been the sole launch provider for Synspective’s constellation to date. This mission was the fifth launch of a total of 16 launches booked on Electron for Synspective and the second launch for the Japanese company this year, after the “Owl Night Long” mission launched in March 2024. Most recently, Synspective booked ten dedicated Electron launches as part of a new multi-launch agreement announced in June 2024, with the launches in that new deal set to take place across 2025-2027.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck says: “It’s wonderful to have launched our second mission for Synspective in five months as we continue our longstanding launch partnership. Electron is the ideal rocket for providing flexible, tailored, and direct access to orbit for constellation builders like Synspective, and I’m proud of the team for delivering this latest mission success."
Share on:
Suggested Items
Seventh Lockheed Martin-Built GPS III Satellite Launches
12/17/2024 | Lockheed MartinThe seventh Lockheed Martin-designed and -built Global Positioning System (GPS) III space vehicle, GPS III SV07, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, into orbit 12,550 miles above earth.
L3Harris Plays Key Role in Successful Missile Defense Test
12/16/2024 | L3Harris TechnologiesL3Harris Technologies provided the Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) target and propulsion for the Standard Missile-3 Block IIA (SM-3 Blk IIA) used in the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) latest successful test aimed at strengthening U.S. missile defense.
Lockheed Martin’s Newest Technology Demo for Space Connectivity Is Ready for Launch
12/10/2024 | Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin’s newest technology demonstration, called the Tactical Satellite (TacSat), is complete and ready for launch in 2025 aboard a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket.
NASA Eyes Launching SPHEREx Sky-Mapping Mission in Early 2025
12/11/2024 | NASANASA and SpaceX are targeting late February 2025 for the launch of the agency’s next astrophysics observatory, SPHEREx. Short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, SPHEREx will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The observatory will lend insight into what happened after the big bang, measure the glow of galaxies near and far, and search the Milky way for building blocks of life.
Lockheed Martin’s Latest Space-Bound LM 400 Tech Demonstration Set to Launch in 2025
11/29/2024 | Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin announced continued investment in its technology demonstrations with the upcoming launch of the LM 400, a new mid-sized, common, multi-mission space vehicle. It has completed testing and is currently preparing to embark on its journey on a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket in the first half of 2025.