SCRUBBED - Rocket Lab - Electron - The Grain Goddess Provides - LC 1 - Mähia, NZ - July 1, 2026

Launch Date: July 1, 2026 Launch Time: 13:00 NZDT, 0100 UTC, 03:00 CEST Launch Status: Scrubbed by the autmated launch system Launch Provider: Rocket Lab, USA Launcher System: Electron Rocket Mission: The Grain Goddess Provides Contractor: iQPS Payload: QPS-SAR-13 (nicknamed MIKURA-I for the Japanese goddess associated with food, abundance, and prosperity) Launch Location: Launch Complex-1 - Mähia Peninsula, New Zealand Launch trajectory: East Price: $7,5 million (Standard mission to LEO) Rocket Height: 18 m Payload to Orbit: LEO 320 kg Lift-Off Thrust: 224 kilonewtons Fairing: Diameter 1,2 m / Height 4,05 m Stages: 3 ‘The Grain Goddess Provides’ is Rocket Lab's next launch for iQPS to deploy their Earth-imaging constellation to space. Launching from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, Electron will deploy QPS-SAR-13, nicknamed MIKURA-I for the Japanese goddess associated with food, abundance, and prosperity, to a 575 km circular Earth orbit. The mission will be Rocket Lab’s eighth launch for iQPS to deploy the company’s constellation over a total of 15 launches. Rocket Lab is the primary launcher for iQPS’ commercial synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation, which is being developed and deployed at a rapid pace to provide high resolution and near-real time SAR imagery to its global users. The launch marks Rocket Lab's 92nd mission overall, the 13th mission in 2026. About the planned aquisition of Iridium by Rocket Lab, you can read our article here: Rocket Lab to Aquire Iridium: This is Not a Launch Story https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rocket-lab-aquire-iridium-launch-story-andreas-p-bergweiler-tq42e