Synspective Signs Multi-Launch Deal with Rocket Lab

Rendering of Synspective satellites. Photo: Synspective

Japanese synthetic aperture radar (SAR) company Synspective has signed a multi-launch deal with Rocket Lab for two dedicated Electron missions, the companies announced July 13. Including a previously scheduled mission, Rocket Lab is now scheduled to launch three missions for Synspective beginning in late 2023 from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.

Synspective has been a Rocket Lab customer since 2020, when Rocket Lab launched its first satellite, and Rocket Lab has been the company’s sole launch provider for three prior missions. These upcoming launches will bring the company’s constellation to six SAR satellites. 

Rocket Lab said its Kick Stage deployer also performs a mid-mission maneuver to shield the Synspective StriX satellite from the sun to reduce radiation exposure ahead of payload deployment.

Synspective founder and CEO Dr. Motoyuki Arai commented: “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.”