Rocket Lab closes record year with successful Synspective satellite deployment

The mission, titled "Owl The Way Up," launched from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, on December 22 at 03:17 NZT. Aboard the Electron rocket, the mission carried a StriX synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite into orbit for Synspective, a Japanese company specializing in Earth observation. The deployment was part of a broader agreement involving 16 launches for Synspective, which has relied exclusively on Rocket Lab for its satellite constellation since 2020.

Sir Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO, stated: "Mission success once again for Synspective, capping off our busiest launch year to date. We look forward to continuing to increase our launch cadence in the new year as we strengthen Electron's position as the leading small rocket globally, and also enter the medium launch market with Neutron's debut.

In 2024 we launched missions for NASA, the NRO, deployed multiple missions for commercial constellation operators like Synspective, launched suborbital HASTE missions advancing hypersonic flight test capability, and to top it all off, we achieved a world first by launching two missions from two different hemispheres in less than 24 hours. Thank you and congratulations to the Rocket Lab team, our customers, and our mission partners for another stellar year."

Rocket Lab's 16 successful missions in 2024 surpassed its previous annual record of 10 launches in 2023. The company also maintained a perfect mission success rate throughout the year. The next Electron launch is slated for the first quarter of 2025.