Rocket Lab Launches JAXA Tech Demo Satellite atop an Electron Rocket Written 15 December 2025
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Rocket Lab launched the “RAISE And Shine” mission for JAXA on December 14, 2025, from Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. Launch occurred at 03:09 UTC (4:09 PM NZDT) and marked Rocket Lab’s first dedicated launch for Japan’s space agency. | Credit: Rocket Lab
Space News reports, “A Rocket Lab Electron rocket successfully launched a technology demonstration satellite for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on Dec. 13 as the company reshuffles its launch manifest. The Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 10:09 p.m. Eastern. The payload, JAXA’s Rapid Innovative Payload Demonstration Satellite-4, or RAISE-4, was deployed into a 540-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit nearly 55 minutes later.”
Full Story (Space News)