Overview
- The Bridging The Swarm mission lifted off on January 30 at 2:21 p.m. NZDT (01:21 UTC) from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.
- Electron delivered NEONSAT-1A to a 540 km low Earth orbit for technology and operations testing.
- KAIST’s NEONSAT program targets a constellation to monitor natural disasters and security events over the Korean Peninsula.
- This was Rocket Lab’s second mission of 2026 and its second launch within eight days, highlighting a rising cadence.
- Rocket Lab says upcoming 2026 flights will support commercial Earth observation operators, international space agencies, national security customers, and hypersonic technology development.