Rocket Lab Delivers Ninth iQPS SAR Satellite on 93rd Electron Flight

Overview

• Rocket Lab launched the mission that carried SUSANOO‑II for iQPS on Thursday, Aug. 20 UTC and deployed the satellite to an orbit of about 575 kilometers roughly 50 minutes after liftoff.
• The flight was recorded as Rocket Lab’s 93rd Electron mission and its 14th launch of 2026, underscoring the company’s high small‑launch cadence this year.
• This mission was the ninth QPS‑SAR satellite Rocket Lab has placed for iQPS and the company reported that iQPS established contact with the spacecraft about 40 minutes after deployment.
• The QPS‑SAR satellites use synthetic aperture radar that can image day or night and see through clouds, giving users near‑real‑time, all‑weather Earth observation useful for commercial and government customers.
• Nine dedicated Electron launches remain contracted to iQPS to finish the 36‑satellite constellation by 2030, keeping steady launch demand for Electron and pacing iQPS’s planned global coverage build‑out.