Overview
- An Electron rocket launched Jan. 22 from New Zealand on the mission “The Cosmos Will See You Now,” placing two Open Cosmos spacecraft into a roughly 1,050-kilometer circular polar orbit.
- The satellites serve as technology and operations demonstrations for a planned telecommunications network and will be licensed and operated in Spain.
- The spacecraft will operate in Ka-band using Liechtenstein filings reassigned to Open Cosmos after regulators rescinded Rivada’s license in 2024.
- The flight was Rocket Lab’s first mission of 2026 and its 80th Electron launch, with the company pointing to a busy Electron manifest this year from launch sites in New Zealand and Virginia.
- Rocket Lab disclosed a Neutron Stage 1 tank rupture during hydrostatic testing with no significant facility damage; a replacement tank is in production and shares fell about 4–5% after the announcement, according to Benzinga.