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Rocket Lab has agreed to fly 20 dedicated Electron missions for Synspective, carrying the Japanese company’s StriX radar-imaging satellites to orbit. The launches are scheduled from 2028 through 2031, but individual launch dates and the contract’s financial terms have not been announced.
What the 20-launch agreement includes
Rocket Lab announced the multi-year agreement on September 30, 2026; Synspective published its announcement the following day. The contract covers 20 dedicated Electron missions for Synspective, which Rocket Lab describes as the largest commercial Electron launch contract in its history. Synspective calls it the largest launch contract in its own history.
Each mission is intended to carry a StriX synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite to sun-synchronous orbit. The launches are planned from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The companies have not provided specific dates for individual missions within the announced schedule.
How this changes Synspective’s launch count
In its October 1, 2026 update, Synspective said it had contracted 47 Rocket Lab launches in total, with 34 still to fly. It also reported that 13 StriX satellites had launched to date. Those are different measures: contracted launches count missions in the launch program, while the satellite figure counts spacecraft already sent to orbit.
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The totals in earlier announcements were snapshots from different dates, not competing versions of the latest count:
| Announcement date | Reported status |
|---|---|
| September 29, 2025 | Rocket Lab said a further 10 dedicated launches brought the then-upcoming Synspective mission count to 21. |
| March 20, 2026 | Rocket Lab reported its eighth Synspective mission and said 27 total launches were contracted at that point. |
| September 19, 2026 | Rocket Lab reported launching the 12th StriX satellite and said 15 additional dedicated Electron missions were manifested through the end of the decade. |
| October 1, 2026 | Synspective reported 47 contracted Rocket Lab launches, 34 yet to fly, and 13 StriX satellites launched to date. |
These dated figures describe the program as it was reported at each point in time. The latest cumulative contracted and flown counts above are Synspective’s October 1 figures.
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What the StriX satellites are for
StriX satellites use synthetic aperture radar, which Synspective says supports disaster response, national security, and environmental monitoring through its data and analytics services. Rocket Lab describes the constellation’s aim as frequent imaging across different lighting and weather conditions. These are the companies’ stated uses and goals for the constellation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is known about the contract’s value
Rocket Lab says the remaining terms are undisclosed. The companies have not published a contract value, per-launch price, revenue estimate, or margin, so the 20-mission count cannot be used to infer those figures. Rocket Lab separately said its overall launch backlog exceeded 100 missions after the agreement; that company-reported backlog is not the value of the Synspective contract.
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