Electron launches Japanese cubesats
Posted: Sat, Apr 25, 2026, 10:57 AM ET (1457 GMT)
An Electron rocket launched a set of Japanese cubesats Wednesday night. The Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 11:09 pm EDT (0309 GMT Thursday) deploying eight cubesats sponsored by the Japanese space agency JAXA into sun-synchronous orbits. The cubesats, developed by Japanese companies and universities, are designed to test advanced technologies. The launch was the second of two ordered by JAXA last fall for launching tech demo smallsats prompted by problems with Japan's Epsilon small launcher. The launch came a little more than 24 hours after the suborbital version of Electron, HASTE, launched from Wallops Island, Virginia, on a classified mission.
An Electron rocket launched a set of Japanese cubesats Wednesday night. The Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 11:09 pm EDT (0309 GMT Thursday) deploying eight cubesats sponsored by the Japanese space agency JAXA into sun-synchronous orbits. The cubesats, developed by Japanese companies and universities, are designed to test advanced technologies. The launch was the second of two ordered by JAXA last fall for launching tech demo smallsats prompted by problems with Japan's Epsilon small launcher. The launch came a little more than 24 hours after the suborbital version of Electron, HASTE, launched from Wallops Island, Virginia, on a classified mission.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, June 20
The first ‘Made in Belgium’ Commercial Satellite for the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a Landmark Contract for Spacebel
Spacebel — 11:50 am ET (1550 GMT) KP Labs and NaviGate explore onboard autonomy opportunities through navigation and edge processing technologies
press release — 11:04 am ET (1504 GMT) AAS Honors Reps. Don Bacon and Judy Chu with Award for Public Service to the Astronomical Sciences
American Astronomical Society — 11:00 am ET (1500 GMT) MDA Space buying U.S. company Blue Canyon Technologies
Canadian Press — 6:56 am ET (1056 GMT) MDA Space Buys RTX’s Satellite Unit Blue Canyon Technologies
Aviation Week — 6:56 am ET (1056 GMT) |
