Rocket Lab launches an Earth-observing radar satellite from New Zealand (video)

Rocket Lab launched a Japanese Earth-observing radar satellite to orbit tonight (Sept. 18).

An Electron rocket carrying a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) spacecraft for the Tokyo-based company Synspective lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site tonight at 11:22 p.m. EDT (0322 GMT and 3:22 p.m. local time on Sept. 19).

SAR satellites can study Earth both night and day and peer through cloudy skies. Synspective is assembling a constellation of such spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO), which it calls Strix, after a widespread genus of owls.

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launches a Strix Earth-observing radar satellite for the Japanese company Synspective on Sept. 18, 2026. (Image credit: Rocket Lab)

The Strix network "provides data for urban development planning, construction and infrastructure monitoring and disaster response" in Japan, Rocket Lab wrote in a mission description.

Rocket Lab has been the sole launch provider for this constellation to date. Tonight's mission was the 12th the company has performed to build the Strix network, with another 15 on the books in the future.

Electron delivered the single Strix satellite to LEO, 355 miles (572 kilometers) above Earth, about 53 minutes after liftoff as planned.

Electron launches for the 96th time and deploys the 12th StriX satellite to space for @synspective 🦉🛰️ pic.twitter.com/ASjwvAGG6JSeptember 19, 2026

Rocket Lab tends to give Synspective launches owl-themed names. Tonight's mission, for example, was called "Owl by the Dozen." It was Rocket Lab's 17th launch of 2026 and 96th overall.

Most of these flights have been performed by the 59-foot-tall (18 meters) Electron, a two-stage vehicle that gives small satellites dedicated rides to the final frontier. But Rocket Lab also flies a suborbital version of Electron called HASTE, which debuted in June 2023 and now has nine launches under its belt.

The company is also developing a more powerful, partially reusable orbital rocket called Neutron, which could debut late this year or in early 2027.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 2:10 a.m. ET on Sept. 19 with news of successful launch and satellite deployment.

Michael Wall is the Spaceflight and Tech Editor for Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers human and robotic spaceflight, military space, and exoplanets, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.