The mission was Rocket Lab's 16th launch of the year and the sixth launch so far for Japanese Earth observation company Synspective.
MAHIA, New Zealand–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Rocket Lab USA, Inc. today announced… (Nasdaq: RKLB) (Rocket Lab or the Company), a global leader in launch services and space systems, announced today that it has successfully completed the company's 16th launch of the year, deploying a satellite for Japanese Earth observation constellation operator Synspective.
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Rocket Lab has successfully launched its 16th Electron rocket of the year, deploying a satellite into orbit for Japanese constellation operator Synspective. (Photo: Business Wire)
The Owl The Way Up mission lifted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand on 22 December at 03:17 Australian time, deploying a single StriX satellite into orbit from the Electron launch vehicle. The mission was the sixth of a total of 16 launches booked for Electron for Synspective, an Earth observation company that operates a constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites designed to provide images that can detect millimeter-level changes in the Earth's surface from space. Rocket Lab first launched Synspective in December 2020 and has been the sole launch provider for the Synspective constellation to date.
“The Synspective mission has succeeded once again, capping off our busiest launch year to date,” says Sir Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab. We look forward to continuing to increase our launch tempo in the new year as we consolidate Electron’s position as the world’s leading small rocket, as well as entering the medium launch market with the debut of Neutron.” In 2024, we launched missions for NASA, the NRO, deployed multiple missions to commercial constellation operators like Synspective, launched suborbital HASTE missions to enhance hypersonic flight testing capability, and to top it all off, we achieved first place in the world by launching two different missions. Hemispheres in less than 24 hours. Thank you and congratulations to the Rocket Lab team, our customers, and our mission partners for another great year.
Rocket Lab launched 16 missions in 2024, surpassing the company's previous annual launch record of 10 missions, which was achieved in 2023 and representing a 60% increase in launch cadence year over year. Rocket Lab has maintained a 100% success record for all launches in 2024. The Owl The Way up launch was Rocket Lab's last scheduled launch of 2024 and the next Electron launch is scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.
Rocket Lab photos and videos: www.flickr.com/photos/rocketlab/
Launch webcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7VZB4pHJrQ
About Synspective Constellation:
Synspective's StriX small satellites are equipped with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensor, which can monitor the Earth's surface in any weather condition, day or night. It is not affected by clouds or rain, and is suitable for continuous disaster monitoring and detailed changes to secure critical infrastructure and other facilities. Examples of use cases include:
- Detect anomalies in road, railway, power and other infrastructure, resulting in lower maintenance costs and accident risks,
- Monitor crop growth conditions and analyze soil and plant health to help reduce costs and increase efficiency for farmers,
- Detect illegal logging and fishing in remote areas of the world,
- Providing rapid damage assessment after floods, landslides and volcanic eruptions, as well as land subsidence risk assessment,
- Enable continuous monitoring of maritime traffic, border activities and other potential security threats, and enhance maritime domain awareness,
- Tree cover analysis to calculate carbon dioxide uptake and carbon balances.
About Rocket Lab
Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with a proven track record of mission success. We provide reliable launch services, satellite manufacturing, spacecraft components, and on-orbit management solutions that make getting to space faster, easier, and less expensive. 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 launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered more than 200 satellites to orbit for public and private sector organizations, enabling operations in the areas of national security, scientific research and space. Debris mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications. Rocket laboratory Photon (WA:) The spacecraft platform has been selected to support NASA's missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three launch pads at two launch sites, including two launch pads at a private orbital launch site located in New Zealand and a third launch pad in Virginia. To learn more, visit www.rocketlabusa.com.
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend that these forward-looking statements will be covered by the forward-looking statement safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act ) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act). All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding our launch operations and space systems, launch schedule and window, safe and repeatable access to space, neutron development, operational expansion, and business strategy – Appearance statements. The words “believe, may, will, estimate, potential, continue, anticipate, intend, anticipate, strategy, future, could, will, project, plan, target, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but not all of them are forward-looking” statements. The appearance of these words or expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the outlook. Statements, including but not limited to, the factors, risks and uncertainties included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). ), which can be accessed on the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) at: www.sec.gov and the Investor Relations section of our website at www.rocketlabusa.com, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management's estimates as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.
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Rocket Lab media contact
Morgan Connaughton
media@rocketlabusa.com
Source: Rocket Lab USA, Inc.
