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Rocket Lab prepares for 99th Electron mission carrying Japanese radar satellite

Rocket Lab is set to launch an uncrewed Electron rocket carrying a radar satellite for Japan's iQPS from New Zealand on Monday.

FTMQ Space, written by our newsroom0 views

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Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch its 99th Electron mission on Monday, November 2, 2026, Tech Times reported. The uncrewed mission, designated iQPS Launch 9 and named "The Sea God Surveys", is targeted for liftoff at 16:41 UTC from New Zealand. [1]

According to Tech Times, the rocket will carry Japan's tenth iQPS synthetic aperture radar satellite into orbit. The launch will expand the operational constellation to ten spacecraft, bringing the network closer to its goal of near-real-time global radar coverage with a 10-minute revisit rate. [1]

The upcoming flight leaves the company one launch away from reaching 100 total Electron missions, Tech Times reported. As FTMQ Space reported earlier, Rocket Lab has already shipped its 100th Electron launch vehicle to the launch pad. [1][11]

The Electron is a two-stage small-lift launch vehicle that launches small satellites into orbit. Suborbital variants and next-generation medium-lift vehicles are also part of Rocket Lab's launch development efforts. [8][9]

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In short

  • Rocket Lab targets Monday at 16:41 UTC for the 99th Electron mission from New Zealand.
  • The uncrewed mission carries Japan's tenth iQPS radar satellite into orbit.
  • The launch brings the iQPS synthetic aperture radar constellation to ten operational satellites.
  • This flight leaves Rocket Lab one launch away from 100 total Electron missions.

Sources

Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.

  1. [1]Rocket Lab Targets 100th Electron Launch After iQPS Radar Mission MondayTech Times, 3h ago (the report this story comes from)
  2. [2]RKLB Stock In Focus After Rocket Lab Launches 93rd Electron MissionStocktwits, 23h ago
  3. [3]Rocket Lab Corporation (RKLB) stock price, news, quote and historyYahoo Finance UK, 1d ago
  4. [4]Rocket Lab Corporation $RKLB Stock Bought by International Assets Investment Management LLCMarketBeat, 16h ago
  5. [5]Trump Targets Over 1,000 US Space Launches A Year — Could RKLB, ASTS, SPCX And LUNR Ride The Rocket Boom?Stocktwits, 1d ago
  6. [6]RKLB Stock Extends 4-Day Rally Overnight: Rocket Lab Lands $397M Deal To Track Airborne Threats From SpaceStocktwits, 1d ago
  7. [7]Rocket Lab’s Third Deal With Japanese Satellite Firm Gets Retail Buzzing – But RKLB Stock Heads For Worst Ever MonthStocktwits, 1d ago

Background

  1. [8]Rocket Lab on Wikipedia
  2. [9]List of Electron launches on Wikipedia
  3. [10]Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning on Wikipedia
  4. [11]Rocket Lab ships hundredth Electron vehicle despite recent stock decline FTMQ Space, 1d ago
  5. [12]Rocket Lab stock drops as market assesses contract gains and launches FTMQ Space, 20d ago

Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 12 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.

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