Overview
- Electron lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 10:09 p.m. Eastern on Dec. 13 and deployed RAISE-4 into a 540-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit about 55 minutes later.
- RAISE-4 is an approximately 110-kilogram spacecraft carrying eight Japanese-developed technology demonstrations, including propulsion, communications and a drag-sail deorbit aid.
- This was Rocket Lab’s first dedicated mission for JAXA under a two-launch agreement, with a second Electron flight set to carry eight cubesats in early 2026.
- The satellite was reassigned from Japan’s grounded Epsilon-S rocket following a 2022 launch failure and subsequent solid motor test failures that delayed its return.
- The mission marked Rocket Lab’s 77th Electron flight and 19th launch of 2025, as the company targets a high cadence with its next Electron launch planned from Wallops and a dedicated ESA flight also slated for the new year.