Rocket Lab launches satellites for Japan’s space agency JAXA
Rocket Lab today successfully placed eight smallsats for Japan’s space agency JAXA, its Electron rocket lifting off from one of its two launchpads in New Zealand.
Because all of JAXA’s rockets are presently grounded due to technical failures, Japan’s space agency has had to turn to Rocket Lab. In fact, these eight satellites were originally supposed to launch on JAXA’s Epsilon-S rocket, which remains grounded after an explosion during a static fire test. There have been no updates on the status of Epsilon-S since December 2024.
Rocket Lab was also supposed to do a suborbital hypersonic test flight yesterday out of Wallops Island in Virginia, using the first stage of Election in its HASTE suborbital configuration. As this is a test for the War Department, little information is generally released. This video from a distance confirms the launch apparently took place, but whether it was a success or not remains unknown. That Rocket Lab’s announcers did not tout its success either before or after today’s JAXA launch — as they have routinely done in the past — suggests something might have gone wrong, though this too is pure speculation.
The leaders in the 2026 launch race:
48 SpaceX
21 China
6 Russia
6 Rocket Lab
For the third straight year SpaceX continues to lead the entire world combined in total launches, 48 to 38.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Rocket Lab today successfully placed eight smallsats for Japan’s space agency JAXA, its Electron rocket lifting off from one of its two launchpads in New Zealand.
Because all of JAXA’s rockets are presently grounded due to technical failures, Japan’s space agency has had to turn to Rocket Lab. In fact, these eight satellites were originally supposed to launch on JAXA’s Epsilon-S rocket, which remains grounded after an explosion during a static fire test. There have been no updates on the status of Epsilon-S since December 2024.
Rocket Lab was also supposed to do a suborbital hypersonic test flight yesterday out of Wallops Island in Virginia, using the first stage of Election in its HASTE suborbital configuration. As this is a test for the War Department, little information is generally released. This video from a distance confirms the launch apparently took place, but whether it was a success or not remains unknown. That Rocket Lab’s announcers did not tout its success either before or after today’s JAXA launch — as they have routinely done in the past — suggests something might have gone wrong, though this too is pure speculation.
The leaders in the 2026 launch race:
48 SpaceX
21 China
6 Russia
6 Rocket Lab
For the third straight year SpaceX continues to lead the entire world combined in total launches, 48 to 38.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Robert Zimmerman,
According to nextspaceflight.com that Rocket Lab HASTE mission – named “Bubbles” – did fly and was successful.
Dick Eagleson: I want an additional confirmation with more details. I have found in the past that nextspaceflight and rocketlaunchlive and similar sites are often wrong in connection to such things.
Moreover, while Rocket Lab might not want to broadcast the HASTE launch itself due to the Pentagon’s security concerns, they still routinely love to plug these successes during later Electron broadcasts. Yet, during today’s launch the announcers made no mention of HASTE at all. This leaves me skeptical. I need a better confirmation.
Robert Zimmerman,
I found <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Cbk0gxsuBjw"this on YouTube – apparently cell phone video shot by one of NASASpaceflight.com’s people. If the mission failed, the failure was not early in the flight. I acknowledge that even solid evidence of a launch and an early “observation”-free ascent does not absolutely nail down the success of the mission.
First, I thought this was an amazing shot:
https://x.com/RocketLab/status/2047165519741305020
Wish it had sound…
But this shot does, if you like the sound of fuel pumps spinning up.
https://x.com/RocketLab/status/2047152120642814151
Also think there is a “thump” from the staging.
Last, RL completed the deal to acquire Myarnic last week. The German government finally got out of the way.
It happened while you were in recovery, Mr Z. I did not see it in your daily links, though I may have missed it.
This acquisition is interesting, because it means that RL now has tangible interests in New Zealand, the US and EU.
The same day they announced a new sat propulsion system that they claim they can build quickly. Hall thrusters using the brand name “Gauss”. I found this amusing because that is Astra’s only money maker. Chris Kemp has not yet commented.
Dick: I have updated my post to include this footage. Thank you. This footage confirms the launch, but not its success.
sippin_bourbon,
Kemp replied not long after saying he welcomed the competition.
sippin_bourbon,
Those clips are from a different mission that was orbital and launched from New Zealand for the Japanese space agency JAXA – which is without any operational rockets of its own just now. Robert and I have been discussing a HASTE sub-orbital mission that Rocket Lab launched from Wallops the day before and about which there has been an odd dearth of news.
I saw that news about the Mynaric acquisition by Rocket Lab finally closing. RL bought them to add lasercom terminals to its growing catalog of spacecraft parts for sale. RL also figures to overhaul Mynaric’s production process which has apparently been quite slow and has limited their product’s availability.
There is considerable demand for such terminals these days and the only mass-producer of them is SpaceX for the cross-links of the Starlink constellation. SpaceX builds these things in the thousands per year for its own use and also offers them for sale as components under the almost too clever name Plug and Plaser.
I’m sure the industry will welcome a good second source for satellite lasercom terminals once RL gets Mynaric properly sorted out. Needless to say, competing directly with SpaceX in any market is going to be a more formidable challenge than competing with Astra for electric thruster business. If there’s anyone who can make a go of that it’s Sir Peter.
Mr E.
Yes. I know which launch it was. It was not my intent to suggest that this was the Haste launch. I have watched enough of these to be familiar with the coastline of the site in NZ it was from the launch last night (EST) mentioned at the top of Mr Z’s post.
I think Sir PB is counting on a larger market for these terminals and the hall engines.
Nate,
I found Kemp’s post after I posted earlier. Made me chuckle. He called Electron a Ferrari, and that he would build Fords. I believe he imagined Mustangs, but what he built were Pintos. Maybe he has learned to be more diplomatic.
Bubbles….sure that wasn’t Blue Origin?
Come on toots, let’s shoot the woiks!
sippin_bourbon,
Sir PB is certainly correct in his assessment of market demand for both lasercom terminals and electric thrusters. I suspect he will do pretty will with both. Rocket Lab’s parts business is already bigger than its launch business.
Astra’s Kemp gets points for trying his best to keep putting up a good honky front, but the advent of Gauss is potentially a game-ender for Astra.