An Electron lifts off May 22 carrying a Synspective radar imaging satellite. Credit: Rocket Lab
WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab launched another radar imaging satellite for Synspective as the company plans to sell up to $3 billion in stock to fund future initiatives.
An Electron rocket lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 5:33 a.m. Eastern May 22. The rocket’s payload, a StriX satellite from Japanese company Synspective, separated from the rocket’s kick stage nearly 57 minutes later, entering an orbit at an altitude of 572 kilometers and an inclination of 44.8 degrees.
This was the ninth launch by Electron of a Synspective satellite. The company plans to have a constellation of at least 30 synthetic aperture radar satellites in orbit by 2028, and has contracts for 18 more Electron launches as well as separate agreements to launch seven spacecraft on SpaceX rideshare missions.
Synspective, in first-quarter financial results published May 15, reported revenue of 746 million yen ($4.7 million) and an operating loss of 1.613 billion yen. The company is forecasting revenue of 16.1 billion yen for all of 2026, more than double its 2025 results, thanks to participation in a joint venture to provide SAR imagery for the Japanese military.
