23 April 2026 – Rocket Lab successfully launched its second dedicated mission for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), further strengthening the partnership between Rocket Lab and Japan’s national space agency. The “Kakushin Rising” mission lifted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 3:09 p.m. NZT to successfully deploy eight spacecraft for JAXA’s Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program that included educational small sats, an ocean-monitoring satellite, a demonstration satellite for ultra-small multispectral cameras, and a deployable antenna packed tightly using origami folding techniques that can unfurl up to 25 times its size. Read more