Synspective purchases 10 additional Electron launches

SYDNEY — Synspective, a Japanese company developing a constellation of radar imaging satellites, has signed a deal with Rocket Lab for an additional 10 Electron launches.

The companies announced Sept. 30 during the International Astronautical Congress here that Synspective would purchase 10 Electron launches, each carrying a single StriX radar imaging satellite. The launches will take place from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.

Synspective signed a separate contract in June 2024 for 10 Electron launches, scheduled for 2025 through 2027. That was the largest single contract for Electron to date. Rocket Lab notes that Synspective is its largest Electron customer, with six launches completed to date and with a backlog of 21 launches through the end of the decade.

“Regular and reliable launch on a flexible schedule is essential to the buildout of Synspective’s constellation, and Electron has been integral to this from the start as the sole launcher of all StriX satellites in space today,” Peter Beck, Rocket Lab’s chief executive, said in a statement.

While Synspective has used Rocket Lab for all its launches to date, it has diversified the launch providers it will work with in the future. It signed a contract earlier this year with SpaceX for launching two satellites on rideshare missions and, in July, reached a deal with launch service provider Exolaunch for 10 satellites starting in 2027. Exolaunch arranges launches primarily on rideshare missions, such as SpaceX’s Transporter series.

“We have to expand the satellite constellation immediately, but the problem in the launch services market is the shortage of launch opportunities,” said Motoyuki Arai, Synspective’s founder and chief executive, at the Exolaunch signing ceremony in July. “It’s very tough to find the appropriate opportunities.”

Synspective has a goal of placing 30 synthetic aperture radar imaging satellites in orbit by 2030. The company says it is seeing strong demand for its radar imagery from the Japanese government and commercial customers.

Synspective went public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December. The company reported in August revenue of 1.327 billion yen ($9 million) in the first half of 2025, a 28% increase from the same period in 2024. It had a net loss of 2.484 billion yen in the first half of 2025, nearly double the loss in the first half of 2024.