Rocket Lab has signed a new multi-launch agreement with Japan's Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space (iQPS), adding three dedicated Electron missions from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand beginning no earlier than 2026 and making Rocket Lab the primary launch provider for the QPS-SAR constellation.
The additional flights lift iQPS's upcoming Electron manifest to seven, on top of four alrea by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 09, 2025
Rocket Lab has signed a new multi-launch agreement with Japan's Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space (iQPS), adding three dedicated Electron missions from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand beginning no earlier than 2026 and making Rocket Lab the primary launch provider for the QPS-SAR constellation.
The additional flights lift iQPS's upcoming Electron manifest to seven, on top of four already booked. Each mission will deploy a single SAR satellite using Rocket Lab's Motorized Lightband separation system, showcasing the company's vertically integrated launch and space-systems offering to streamline schedules and bolster reliability.
"We're proud to be expanding our partnership with iQPS to deliver their QPS-SAR satellites to orbit. By choosing both Electron and our separation systems to deploy their satellites, iQPS takes advantage of a highly-integrated launch service that maximizes reliability and streamlines operations for faster access to space to grow their constellation. It's a privilege to continue to deliver this for iQPS across our missions to date and the ones to come," said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck.
"In 2025, we successfully deployed four satellites, QPS-SAR-9 through QPS-SAR-12, into their planned orbits aboard Electron. This outcome was exactly as we had anticipated, and it further reaffirmed our confidence in the rocket's reliability. We are very pleased to have now signed an additional contract for the launch of three more satellites on Electron. This agreement marks an important step toward the realization of our QPS-SAR constellation. We will continue to make steady progress with unwavering dedication to achieving this goal," said iQPS CEO, Dr. Shunsuke Onishi.
Rocket Lab has increased production and launch cadence toward 20+ Electron missions in 2025, having already flown four iQPS missions this year, including two launched within four weeks between May and June. The next iQPS launch is slated for November, with further details to follow.
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