Electron Launch: Japan QPS-SAR-11 Earth Observation Satellite | Rocket Lab

Electron Launch: Japan QPS-SAR-11 Earth Observation Satellite | Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab successfully launched its 66th Electron to deploy the latest satellite to orbit for Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (iQPS)—Rocket Lab’s second launch in less than a month for iQPS and its fourth overall with 100% mission success. ‘The Mountain God Guards’ Mission lifted-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand at 15:31 UTC on June 11th, 2025, to deploy a single synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellite named QPS-SAR-11 (nicknamed Yamatsumi-I for the Japanese god of mountains) to a 575km circular Earth orbit for iQPS. The mission is the latest in a series of dedicated Electron launches for iQPS to develop its Earth-imaging constellation providing high resolution images and Earth monitoring services globally.

With this mission, Electron has now deployed half of iQPS’s constellation of satellites operating on orbit. These include the ‘The Moon God Awakens’ that was successfully launched in December 2023; and ‘The Lightning God Reigns’, ‘The Sea God Sees’, and now ‘The Mountain God Guards’, each deployed in the first half of 2025. Another four dedicated missions with QPS-SAR satellites are scheduled to launch on Electron across the remainder of this year and 2026, making Rocket Lab the "most relied-upon launch provider to accelerate the build out of iQPS’s constellation with repeatability and precision."

iQPS is developing a constellation of synthetic aperture radar imaging satellites. The company has eight operational satellites with plans to grow its constellation to 24 satellites by 2027 and ultimately to 36 spacecraft. This is the fourth iQPS satellite launched by Electron and the third in three months, after launches March 14 and May 17. An Electron also launched an iQPS satellite in December 2023. The last three launches are part of a multi-launch contract that includes a total of eight launches, extending into 2026. This was the eighth launch so far this year for Rocket Lab.

Learn more about iQPS:
https://i-qps.net/en/

Learn more about Rocket Lab:
https://www.rocketlabusa.com

Video Credit: Rocket Lab
Duration: 22 seconds

Capture Date: June 11, 2025

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