Rocket Lab deploys latest satellite

Rocket Lab deploys latest satellite

Friday 9 Aug 2024

Rocket Lab USA, a global leader in launch services and space systems, 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 am, August 3^rd NZT (16:39 UTC, August 2^nd) 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 manoeuvre 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 long-standing 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.

About Synspective’s constellation:

Synspective's small SAR satellites, StriX, are equipped with a synthetic aperture radar (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. Example use cases include:

Detecting anomalies in road, rail, energy and other infrastructure, resulting in lower maintenance costs and accident risk,
Monitoring crop growth conditions and analysing soil and vegetation health to help reduce costs and increase efficiency for farmers,
Detecting illegal logging and fishing in the most remote parts of the world,
Providing rapid damage assessment after flooding, landslides and volcanic eruptions, as well as risk assessment for land subsidence,
Analysing tree cover to calculate CO2 absorption and carbon credits.

Source: Rocket Lab

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