Rocket Lab to launch sixth satellite for Japanese firm iQPS

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB), whose stock has delivered an impressive 513% return over the past year, announced Monday its upcoming mission to deploy a satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (iQPS).

The mission, named "The Nation God Navigates," is scheduled to launch from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand facility during a window opening November 5, 2025. This will mark Electron’s 74th launch overall and 16th mission this year, contributing to the company’s strong revenue growth of 54% over the last twelve months.

The launch will deploy the QPS-SAR-14 satellite, nicknamed YACHIHOKO-I, to a 575km circular Earth orbit. The satellite will join iQPS’s constellation providing synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images and Earth monitoring services globally.

This represents the sixth mission Rocket Lab has conducted for iQPS, following five previous successful deployments in 2023 and 2025. Six additional dedicated iQPS missions are planned for 2026 and beyond.

iQPS aims to establish a constellation of 36 SAR satellites capable of providing near-real-time Earth images every 10 minutes.

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket has achieved 100% mission success on all launches this year, according to the company’s press release statement.

The mission continues Rocket Lab’s work as a provider of launch services for small satellite operators. The company also develops spacecraft components and is working on its larger Neutron launch vehicle.

In other recent news, Rocket Lab USA has secured multiple contracts that highlight its growing partnerships and operational capabilities. The company announced a direct contract with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for two dedicated Electron launches, set for December 2025 and 2026, from its Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. These missions will deploy various satellites, including JAXA’s RApid Innovative payload demonstration SatellitE-4 and other educational and ocean monitoring satellites. Additionally, Rocket Lab expanded its multi-launch agreement with Japanese Earth-imaging company iQPS, bringing the total number of dedicated Electron missions for iQPS to seven.

Analyst firms have also been active regarding Rocket Lab’s stock. KeyBanc Capital Markets raised its price target to $75 from $50, maintaining an Overweight rating after discussions with the company’s CEO and CFO. Meanwhile, Baird initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and set a price target of $83, citing Rocket Lab’s 94% mission success rate as a testament to its reliability in space launches. These developments underscore Rocket Lab’s strategic moves and the confidence analysts have in its potential growth.

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