Rocket Lab signs multi-launch deal with Synspective

Rocket Lab has signed a deal with Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective to launch two dedicated Electron missions. The new missions bring the total number of Electron launches contracted by Synspective to six.

Rocket Lab has been launching for Synspective since 2020 when the company deployed the first satellite in Synspective’s synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation, which is designed to deliver imagery that can detect millimetre-level changes to the Earth’s surface from space. Since that first mission, Rocket Lab has been the sole launch provider for Synspective’s StriX constellation to date, successfully deploying three StriX satellites across three dedicated Electron launches. Including the two new missions, Rocket Lab is now scheduled to launch three missions for Synspective beginning in late 2023 from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.

Rocket Lab founder and Chief Executive Peter Beck said: “It’s an honour to be entrusted with the continued deployment of Synspective’s constellation. We’re proud to enable them to build out their constellation with precision and efficiency, giving Synspective ultimate schedule and orbit flexibility with frequent dedicated launch opportunities. We’re delighted to continue delivering this unique ability to Synspective through our continued partnership.”

In addition to providing Synspective with a high degree over schedule and orbit by flying as a dedicated mission, Rocket Lab also delivers the ability to perform an advanced mid-mission manoeuvre with the Electron rocket’s Kick Stage to shield the StriX satellite from the sun to reduce radiation exposure ahead of payload deployment.

Synspective founder and CEO Dr Motoyuki Arai added: “As we celebrate our three-year partnership with Rocket Lab, which began with our first StriX-α satellite in 2020, we are thrilled to entrust them with two more contracts for our StriX satellite launches. Their unwavering reliability and precision have been pivotal to our successful deployments. We’re looking forward to the upcoming launches and the new insights to enhance our satellite data and solution service in line with our customer needs.”

Synspective joins several commercial constellation operators that have signed multi-launch agreements on Electron this year, including HawkEye 360 and Capella Space.