Rocket Lab launches ninth Synspective satellite

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab launched another radar imaging satellite for Synspective as the company plans to sell up to $3 billion in stock to fund future initiatives.

An Electron rocket lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 5:33 a.m. Eastern May 22. The rocket’s payload, a StriX satellite from Japanese company Synspective, separated from the rocket’s kick stage nearly 57 minutes later, entering an orbit at an altitude of 572 kilometers and an inclination of 44.8 degrees.

This was the ninth launch by Electron of a Synspective satellite. The company plans to have a constellation of at least 30 synthetic aperture radar satellites in orbit by 2028, and has contracts for 18 more Electron launches as well as separate agreements to launch seven spacecraft on SpaceX rideshare missions.

Synspective, in first-quarter financial results published May 15, reported revenue of 746 million yen ($4.7 million) and an operating loss of 1.613 billion yen. The company is forecasting revenue of 16.1 billion yen for all of 2026, more than double its 2025 results, thanks to participation in a joint venture to provide SAR imagery for the Japanese military.

The launch was the 88th for Electron and the ninth so far this year, including two flights of the HASTE suborbital variant of the vehicle.

Stock sale plans

Rocket Lab announced May 20 that it has agreements in place with several financial firms to sell up to $3 billion in stock. It stated in a prospectus for the offering that it would use the funds for “future growth,” including potential acquisitions, as well as general corporate and working capital purposes.

In an earnings call May 7, Rocket Lab announced its latest acquisition, robotics company Motiv Space Systems. Rocket Lab paid $40 million in cash for Motiv, with up to $20 million in stock for additional post-closing earnouts. That came after Rocket Lab completed its purchase of German optical communications terminal company Mynaric for $155.3 million, primarily in stock.

“We always have a strategic acquisition opportunity up our sleeve,” Peter Beck, chief executive of Rocket Lab, said during the earnings call when announcing the Motiv deal, but did not go into detail about the types of future acquisitions the company is considering.

Adam Spice, the company’s chief financial officer, noted the company has a “robust M&A pipeline,” referring to mergers and acquisitions. He said in the call that the company was in “a strong position to execute on both organic and inorganic growth initiatives and to further vertically integrate our supply chain, expand strategic capabilities and grow our addressable market consistent with what we’ve done successfully in the past.”