Rocket Lab USA, Inc. RKLB sent a Japanese radar satellite into orbit on Saturday and is now prepping for another mission just three days later.
What Happened: On Saturday, Rocket Lab completed its 61st mission, “The Lightning God Reigns,” from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand.
The mission deployed the QPS-SAR-9 satellite into a 575-kilometer circular Earth orbit for the Japanese customer Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (IQPS).
It marked the second mission Rocket Lab has executed for IQPS following a launch in December 2023.
The satellite is part of IQPS’s synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation, designed to deliver high-resolution, all-weather Earth imagery.
According to Rocket Lab, the Lightning God Reigns mission is the first of eight upcoming launches for IQPS—one of the company’s largest Electron launch agreements to date—with five more expected in 2025 and two more in 2026.
Just three days later, on Tuesday, it plans to launch Mission 62, “High Five,” which will deploy five satellites for French Internet of Things company Kinéis. The launch is the fifth and final in a multi-mission deal to complete the Kinéis satellite constellation.
We’ve rolled out and we’re ready for launch tomorrow – our second mission from LC-1 in three days 🚀🚀
The “High Five” mission for @KineisIoT is the final in a 5-launch deal to complete their constellation – though with an instantaneous launch requirement, a weather system… pic.twitter.com/wjotvWCKaD
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) March 16, 2025
Why It’s Important: Last month, Rocket Lab announced its fourth-quarter financial results, reporting $132.39 million in revenue and surpassing the $130.58 million consensus estimate. The company posted a loss of 10 cents per share, matching analyst expectations, according to Benzinga Pro.
RKLB Price Action: Rocket Lab shares rose 7.06% on Friday, closing at $18.81. However, in after-hours trading, the stock was down 0.053% at the time of writing.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
Photo via Shutterstock
Read Next:
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
