Rocket Lab has delivered the Japanese WADATSUMI-II radar-imaging satellite to orbit from its New Zealand launch site. The Electron rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 1 at 5:41 a.m. local time on November 3, equivalent to 16:41 UTC on November 2.
The mission, named “The Sea God Surveys”, placed the spacecraft in a 575-kilometre low Earth orbit. Satellite operator iQPS said separation took place about 50 minutes after launch and its team established the first communications roughly 30 minutes later.
iQPS reported that the satellite’s equipment was working properly. The company said the next steps include adjustments, antenna deployment and acquiring the first images, so the launch announcement does not yet mark the start of routine imaging services.
WADATSUMI-II is also designated QPS-SAR-20. Its synthetic aperture radar is designed for Earth observation, including at night and through cloud cover. The launch was Rocket Lab’s tenth for iQPS, continuing the Japanese company’s expansion of its radar-satellite network.
Archive illustration: an Electron rocket launches from Wallops, Virginia, on January 24, 2023. This is not the November 2026 WADATSUMI-II launch in New Zealand. Photo: NASA / Patrick Black, used under NASA media-use guidelines. Resized.
