Rocket Lab has launched its 97th Electron rocket, deploying a satellite for Japanese radar-imaging company Synspective in the constellation's 13th dedicated mission. The mission, named "Owlright Owlright Owlright," lifted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, at 12:39 p.m. NZST on September 26, carrying the StriX satellite to a 559-kilometer low Earth orbit.
The launch was Rocket Lab's 18th Electron mission of 2026 and extends its multi-year dedicated-launch partnership with Synspective, which operates synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites capable of high-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night imaging of the Earth's surface. According to the release, another 14 launches remain on schedule to deliver the rest of Synspective's constellation to space by the end of the decade.
The mission also comes as Rocket Lab marks ten years since Launch Complex 1 opened in Mahia as what the company says was the world's first private orbital launch site. Rocket Lab said the site, now home to more than 80 Electron launches, has helped make New Zealand one of the world's busiest launch countries. "None of this would be possible without the support of the Mahia community, local iwi, our New Zealand and global teams, and the customers who trust us with their satellites," the company said, according to newsroomamerica.com.