Rocket Lab Successfully 色花堂es Third Mission for iQPS in Multi-色花堂 Contract, Sets Schedule For the Next iQPS Mission
Mahia, New Zealand. May 17, 2025 鈥 色花堂, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (鈥淩ocket Lab鈥 or 鈥渢he Company鈥), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today successfully launched its third mission for Japanese customer, Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (iQPS).
鈥楾he Sea God Sees鈥 mission successfully launched on Electron from Rocket Lab 色花堂 Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand at 8:17 p.m. on May 17th, 2025. The mission carried iQPS鈥 QPS-SAR-10, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Earth-imaging satellite, to a 575km low Earth orbit, where it was deployed as part of iQPS鈥 growing constellation. The mission was launched just weeks鈥 after Rocket Lab鈥檚 previous launch for iQPS was deployed on March 15, 2025 鈥 demonstrating frequent, reliable, and dedicated small orbital launch for satellite operators with 100% mission success in 2025.
Today鈥檚 mission was the third overall launch for iQPS and the second in a multi-launch contract to launch eight missions for the company in 2025 and 2026. Four more launches are scheduled for launch this year, with the remaining two scheduled for 2026. Rocket Lab鈥檚 next mission for iQPS is scheduled to launch in less than a month鈥檚 time, from no earlier than June 2025.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, says: 鈥淎nother fantastic launch by the Electron team to flawlessly deliver another iQPS mission to orbit. Constellation deployment requires a reliable rocket with pinpoint orbital deployment accuracy that allows for the seamless integration of the latest spacecraft to the constellation 鈥 and that鈥檚 exactly the service Electron continues to provide as the global leading launcher for small satellite missions. With another mission lined up with iQPS in just a few short weeks, we鈥檙e looking forward to supporting their constellation with multiple missions this year and next.鈥
iQPS CEO, Dr. Shunsuke Onishi, says: 鈥淲e are truly delighted to have successfully launched our 10th satellite, 鈥淲ADATSUMI-I,鈥 into orbit just two months after the launch of our QPS-SAR-9 鈥淪USANOO-I.鈥 This achievement is a remarkable milestone to the outstanding technical capabilities of our development team, and we are deeply grateful to Rocket Lab team for enabling such a precise and agile launch. With more Electron launches ahead, we鈥檙e more committed than ever to accelerating the buildout of our satellite constellation, and we look forward to continuing this powerful partnership.鈥
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ENDS
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About Rocket Lab
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鈥檚 Electron launch vehicle has become the second most frequently launched U.S. rocket annually and has delivered more than 200 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鈥檚 Photon spacecraft platform has been selected to support NASA 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.
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