The electronic rocket carrying the QPS-SAR-12 satellite called the Kushinada-I was lifted from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand site at 12:10am EDT (0410 GMT and 4:10pm, New Zealand time) on Tuesday.
The electrons deployed the Kushinada-I and deployed into a 357 miles (575 km) circular orbit (575 km) on Earth about 54 minutes after launch, and Rocket Lab announced via the X.
The satellite will “join the rest of the QPS-SAR constellations to provide high-resolution synthetic aperture radar images and earth surveillance services globally,” Rocket Lab wrote in a description of the mission called “The Goddess of Harvest Prosper.” (The name is a reference to Kushinada, the Japanese goddess of harvest and prosperity.)
As its official name suggests, the QPS-SAR-12 is the 12th IQPS satellite for reaching orbit. Japanese companies aim to control the constellations of 36 SAR spacecraft. This allows you to peek into the clouds and study the surface of the Earth not only at night but also during the day.
“The data collected by QPS-SAR Constellation can revolutionize the industry and change into the future,” Rocket Lab wrote in the Mission’s press kit.
“By leveraging insights from moving object data, IQPS can unlock new economic values, increase city safety and security, and provide predictive analytics for agriculture, national economy and regional markets when integrating into weather, market and economic data,” the company added.
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