Rocket Lab completed its 13th Electron launch of 2026 on Wednesday, deploying a satellite for Japan's iQPS as part of a dedicated earth-imaging constellation contract.
The mission, called "The Grain Goddess Provides," carried the QPS-SAR-13 satellite to orbit. iQPS has secured 10 additional dedicated Electron missions through 2030, according to the company's announcement, extending a commercial relationship that has now flown eight satellites on Rocket Lab's small-lift vehicle.
Rocket Lab has sustained a launch cadence of roughly one Electron flight per week this year, a pace the company has maintained since entering regular commercial service in 2018. The eight iQPS launches represent the largest single-customer constellation program on Electron to date. iQPS operates synthetic-aperture radar satellites for disaster monitoring, agricultural assessment, and urban planning across Asia and beyond.
Rocket Lab's manufacturing and launch tempo has accelerated in recent quarters. The company completed its 92nd Electron mission on Wednesday, up from 76 total flights through the end of 2025. Each satellite iQPS deploys adds to a constellation that now numbers 13 active units in orbit, with the booking of 10 more missions through 2030 extending customer commitment through the decade.
Small-lift launch providers including Axiom Space's SpinLaunch and European operators have competed for constellation work, but Rocket Lab's established flight rate and proven reliability with iQPS have secured it as the primary deployment partner for this customer. The booking of a decade-long manifest into 2030 locks Rocket Lab into predictable revenue and manufacturing targets at a scale most other small-lift operators have not yet achieved.
Rocket Lab has now flown 13 Electron missions in 2026 against a stated annual target of 24 to 26, placing it on track to reach annual capacity by year-end if the monthly cadence holds. If the company maintains one launch per week through December, it will reach approximately 22 to 23 total missions for the year.
