When you make a purchase through links in our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
Credit: Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab launched its sixth mission for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS this afternoon (November 5) from its seaside site in New Zealand.
An Electron launch vehicle QPS-SAR-14 satellitenicknamed Yachihoko-I, launched from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site today at 2:51 pm EST (1951 GMT; 8:51 am November 6 local New Zealand time).
“Impact Stage” Electron deployed Yachihoko-I as planned today, placing it into a 357-mile (575-kilometer) circular orbit about 50 minutes after launch.
View from the second stage of the Rocket Lab Electron rocket during its launch on November 5, 2025, which launched an Earth observation satellite for the Japanese company iQPS. In the distance, Electron's first stage can be seen falling back to Earth. | Credit: Rocket Lab
“This satellite will join the rest of the QPS-SAR constellation, providing high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery and Earth monitoring services around the world.” Rocket laboratory wrote to mission description. “iQPS aims to create a constellation of 36 SAR satellites that will provide near real-time images of the Earth every 10 minutes.”
Yachihoko-I will be the 13th (not the 14th, as the name suggests) iQPS satellite to reach orbit to date. To date, seven members of the growing constellation have flown on non-electronic rockets: India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, Japan's Epsilon and SpaceX. Falcon 9to be precise.
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launches the “Nation of God Navigate” mission for Japanese Earth observation company iQPS from New Zealand on November 5, 2025. | Credit: Rocket Lab
According to Rocket Lab, Yachihoko-I takes its name from the Japanese god of nation building. This explains the nickname the company has given to today's mission: “A Nation Led by God.”
Today's launch marks Rocket Lab's 16th launch in 2025 and the company's 74th overall. The vast majority of these were carried out using the 59-foot (18-meter) Elektron. Rocket Lab also operates a suborbital version of the vehicle known as Rush (“Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron”), which has flown five times since its debut in June 2023.
Editor's Note: This story was updated at 3:00 pm ET on November 5 with news of the successful launch, and then again at 3:58 pm ET with news of the successful satellite deployment.
