Posted: Sat, May 23, 2026, 8:16 AM ET (1216 GMT)
Rocket Lab also launched a Japanese radar imaging satellite on Friday. An Electron lifted off from the company's New Zealand launch site at 5:33 am EDT (0933 GMT), deploying the StriX satellite into low Earth orbit nearly an hour later. This was the ninth launch Rocket Lab has performed for Synspective, a Japanese company developing a constellation of at least 30 satellites.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  Space.com article
•  Rocket Lab press release