Rocket Lab Schedules Next Electron Launch, Sixth Mission for Constellation Operator iQPS
LONG BEACH, Calif., Oct. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rocket Lab Corporation (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced the launch window for its next mission for multi-launch customer Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (iQPS), a Japan-based Earth imaging company. The mission will be Electron’s 74th launch to date and 16th mission this year.
The upcoming dedicated launch, named ‘The Nation God Navigates”, is scheduled to launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand during a launch window that opens on November 5, 2025 UTC. The mission will deploy QPS-SAR-14, nicknamed YACHIHOKO-I for the Japanese god of nation-building, to a 575km circular Earth orbit. This satellite will join the rest of the QPS-SAR constellation in providing high resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images and Earth monitoring services globally. iQPS aims to build a constellation of 36 SAR satellites that will provide near-real-time images of Earth every 10 minutes.
‘The Nation God Navigates’ will be the sixth mission deployed on Electron for iQPS, following previous successful missions ‘The Moon God Awakens’ in December 2023 as well as ‘The Lightning God Reigns’, ‘The Sea God Sees’, ‘The Mountain God Guards’ and ‘The Harvest Goddess Thrives’ in 2025. Beyond this mission, six more dedicated iQPS missions are set to launch on Electron in 2026 and beyond, making Rocket Lab the go-to provider for their constellation.
Rocket Lab is a leader in responsive launch and precise orbital access for a range of small satellite operators globally. The world’s most frequently launched commercial small-lift rocket, Electron continues to demonstrate its reliability amid a busy launch cadence, achieving 100% mission success on all missions this year – with more launches scheduled from now through the end of 2025.
‘The Nation God Navigates’ launch information: https://rocketlabcorp.com/missions/next-mission
‘The Nation God Navigates’ launch window opens:
- 2:45 pm Eastern, November 5
- 11:45 am Pacific, November 5
- 19:45 UTC, November 5
- 4:45 am JST, November 6
- 8:45 am NZT, November 6
Rocket Lab Media Contact
Kate Gamble
media@rocketlabusa.com
About Rocket Lab
About Rocket Lab Rocket Lab is a leading space company that provides launch services, spacecraft, payloads and satellite components serving commercial, government, and national security markets. Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket is the world’s most frequently launched orbital small rocket; its HASTE rocket provides hypersonic test launch capability for the U.S. government and allied nations; and its Neutron launch vehicle in development will unlock medium launch for constellation deployment, national security and exploration missions. Rocket Lab’s spacecraft and satellite components have enabled more than 1,700 missions spanning commercial, defense and national security missions including GPS, constellations, and exploration missions to the Moon, Mars, and Venus. Rocket Lab is a publicly listed company on the Nasdaq stock exchange (RKLB). Learn more at www.rocketlabcorp.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding our launch and space systems operations, launch schedule and window, safe and repeatable access to space, Neutron development, operational expansion and business strategy, are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “potential,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “strategy,” “future,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the factors, risks and uncertainties included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the Investor Relations section of our website at https://investors.rocketlabcorp.com which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.
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