Rocket Lab marked the end of its 2025 launch campaign with a successful mission over the weekend, delivering a private Japanese satellite into orbit.
The Electron rocket lifted off from the company's New Zealand facility on Sunday, December 21, at 1:36 a.m. EST (0636 GMT). The vehicle carried the QPS-SAR-15 satellite, also known as Sukunami-I, which was developed for Earth observation purposes.
Designated "The Wisdom God Guides," the mission proceeded smoothly. The rocket's upper stage successfully placed the satellite into its intended circular orbit approximately 357 miles above Earth's surface.
Once operational, Sukunami-I will become part of the Earth-monitoring constellation operated by Japanese firm iQPS. The satellite utilizes synthetic aperture radar technology, enabling it to capture detailed imagery regardless of weather conditions or time of day.
This launch represented Rocket Lab's sixth mission for iQPS during 2025 and the seventh overall for the Japanese company. According to Rocket Lab, iQPS has scheduled five additional Electron launches for 2026.
With this final mission, Rocket Lab achieved 21 successful launches in 2025, surpassing its previous annual record of 16 missions set the previous year. All 2025 launches were completed without failure.
Eighteen of this year's missions involved orbital launches using the standard Electron rocket, while three utilized the HASTE variant. The HASTE system is a modified suborbital version designed for hypersonic technology testing in space environments.
"Our new record of annual launches and the breadth of upcoming missions go to show how much of a global impact Electron continues to have on the space industry, and we're looking forward to another year of continued execution in 2026," stated Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck in a Sunday announcement.
He further explained, "In 2026, we're expanding Electron’s global reach with more multi-launch constellation deployments, dedicated missions for domestic civil space and international space agencies in Japan and Europe, and both suborbital and orbital launches with defense applications for hypersonic technology and national security."
