Rocket Lab launches the fourth satellite for Synspective’s constellation on March 13, 2024. Photo: Rocket Lab

Japanese radar company Synspective signed a 10-launch deal with Rocket Lab, the largest Electron launch contract to date. The launches will take place from New Zealand across 2025 to 2027.

Rocket Lab has been Synspective’s sole launch provider and has launched four, single-satellite missions for the company since 2020, with the most recent launch in March. Synspective has two other Rocket Lab missions booked for this year that are not part of the launch contract. 

Synspective is building a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation that is able to capture data of Earth through cloud cover and at night. It is used for disaster relief including flooding, urban development, construction, and infrastructure monitoring. 

Synspective founder and CEO, Dr. Motoyuki Arai said the agreement gives Synspective a “solid foundation and confidence” to build its satellite constellation and expand services. The contract gives Synspective control over the launch schedule and the precise deployment parameters for each satellite.  

“We appreciate Rocket Lab’s significant role in moving our business forward. We will continue to build an analytics platform that enables visualization and analysis of global environmental and economic activities, starting with constructing a SAR satellite constellation,” Arai said. “These efforts will help make human activities sustainable for our generation and address the challenges of a changing global environment and depleting resources.”