Rocket Lab Logs 10th Synspective Launch Success, Wins Three NASA Missions Worth $300M
RKLB•Rocket Lab completed its 10th consecutive dedicated launch for Synspective, deploying the tenth StriX SAR satellite to a 552 km orbit and raising its 2026 mission tally to 12 and overall total to 91. NASA awarded Rocket Lab three Electron missions under the $300 million VADR contract for early-2027 science launches.
1. Rocket Lab Completes Tenth Synspective Mission
Rocket Lab launched the “Ten Owl Of Ten” mission from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 5:43 a.m. NZST on June 27, placing the tenth StriX synthetic aperture radar satellite into a 552 km low Earth orbit. This milestone marks 10-for-10 mission success for Synspective’s constellation, brings Rocket Lab’s 2026 launch count to 12 and its overall total to 91.
2. NASA Awards Three Electron Missions Under VADR Contract
Under NASA’s VADR launch services agreement valued up to $300 million over ten years, Rocket Lab secured three dedicated Electron flights: two for the PolSIR CubeSat mission targeting high-altitude ice cloud studies no earlier than mid-2027, and one for the TSIS-2 solar energy measurement satellite scheduled in early 2027.
