Rocket Lab launches Japanese radar satellite after delay

Rocket Lab successfully launched the Japanese Earth-observing satellite QPS-SAR-13, also known as MIKURA-I, for iQPS on August 6, 2026, after a five-week delay. The Electron rocket lifted off from New Zealand at 5:18 a.m. EDT, deploying the satellite into orbit about 357 miles above Earth. The mission, named "The Grain Goddess Provides," was the eighth of 15 planned launches for iQPS's constellation of 36 SAR satellites, which will provide high-resolution imagery day and night, regardless of cloud cover.