Tag: Rocket Lab
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Rocket Lab Launches 12th StriX Radar Satellite for Synspective (Video)
An Electron rocket launched a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) spacecraft for the Tokyo-based company Synspective from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand site on Sept. 18, 2026 at 11:22 p.m. EDT (0322 GMT and 3:22 p.m. local time on Sept. 19). Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab launched Synspective’s 12th StriX synthetic aperture radar satellite on September 19,…
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Rocket Lab Raises $1.94 Billion to Fully Finance Iridium Acquisition
Rocket Lab has completed a $1.944 billion equity offering and secured lender consent to retain Iridium Communications’ existing term loan after its planned acquisition. Together with available cash, those steps provide sufficient funding for the transaction’s cash payments, specified debt repayments and closing costs. Rocket Lab has terminated a $3.6 billion bridge financing commitment, removing…
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US Space Force Confirms Operation of On-Orbit Weapons, Emphasizes Deterrence
The U.S. Space Force operates weapons in orbit to defend American and allied forces against space-enabled attacks, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess said during a September 15 address at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. The unusually direct acknowledgment broadens the publicly confirmed scope…
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Rocket Lab Challenges NASA’s $700 Million Mars Orbiter Award to Blue Origin
Rocket Lab filed a formal protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office on September 11, challenging NASA’s decision to award Blue Origin a $700 million contract to develop, launch and operate the Mars Telecommunications Network. NASA selected Blue Origin on September 1 for the communications orbiter, which must be delivered by December 31, 2028 and…
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Rocket Lab Deploys Confidential Earth Observation Satellite on 95th Launch
Rocket Lab launched a single Earth observation satellite for an undisclosed commercial customer on September 11, deploying the spacecraft into a 500-kilometer circular low Earth orbit during the company’s 95th launch. The dedicated “Happily Ever Faster” mission lifted off aboard an Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula at 3:28 p.m.…
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Rocket Lab Releases Germanium-Free IMM Apex Space Solar Cell With 31.5% Efficiency
Rocket Lab released its IMM Apex space solar cell for production on September 8, offering a Beginning of Life conversion efficiency of 31.5% while eliminating the germanium substrate used in conventional multi-junction cells. The company said the product is 40% lighter than comparable cells and is intended to reduce satellite manufacturers’ exposure to rising germanium…
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China Commercial Space Industry Monthly Report — August 2026
In August 2026, China and the United States continued to dominate the global launch market. The United States maintained its lead through the high-cadence reuse and launch operations of Falcon 9, while China saw parallel advances by both its state-owned space sector and commercial space companies. A total of 26 orbital launches were conducted worldwide…
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LLNL Telescope Enables Rocket Lab Spacecraft to Track Satellite in Space Force’s Victus Haze Exercise
A Rocket Lab spacecraft used a monolithic telescope and onboard navigation software developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to acquire and track another satellite during the U.S. Space Force’s Victus Haze exercise, demonstrating how quickly an inspection spacecraft can be launched, commissioned and directed toward an object already in orbit. The exercise tested more than…
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Space Force Expands Space-Based Air Tracking Vendor Pool to 12 Companies
The U.S. Space Force’s Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator program has expanded to 12 participating companies, with Blue Origin, Boeing and commercial radar-satellite operator Umbra appearing in public contract records alongside nine previously identified vendors. The broader supplier pool gives the service additional spacecraft, sensor, processing and integration options as it works toward fielding an…
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Rocket Lab Deploys Synspective Radar Satellite on 85th Electron Mission (Video)
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched a Strix satellite for Synspective, a Tokyo-based Earth-imaging company on Sept. 2, 2026 from New Zealand. Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab launched another synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth-observation company Synspective on September 2, extending a dedicated launch campaign supporting the expansion of the Strix constellation. The Electron…