Watch Rocket Lab launch Japanese radar satellite to orbit early Aug. 31

Rocket Lab plans to launch a Japanese radar satellite known as Strix on Monday, August 31, at 8:00 a.m. EDT from its New Zealand site. The private satellite, developed by Synspective, a Tokyo-based Earth-imaging company, will be carried by an Electron vehicle. Live coverage of the launch will be available from Rocket Lab and Space.com approximately 30 minutes prior to liftoff.

Synspective is building a constellation of around 30 Strix satellites in low Earth orbit, which utilize synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to monitor disasters and efficiently utilize resources on Earth. To date, ten Strix satellites have been successfully deployed, all using Electron vehicles. This mission, dubbed 'Owl Around the World,' will be Rocket Lab's 12th launch in 2026 and its 85th overall.