The mission will launch the first satellite of Synspectives StriX constellation which will provide commercially available Earth-observation data.
Satellite launch provider Rocket Lab has signed a deal with Japanese satellite company Synspective to launch a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite in late 2020.
Synspectives StriX-? satellite will be launched on an Electron launch vehicle as a dedicated mission from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.
The satellite will be the first in Synspectives planned StriX constellation of around 25 SAR satellites designed to provide geospatial solutions. SAR satellites actively observe and acquire Earth surface information by transmitting and receiving reflected microwaves. Compared with optical satellites, which rely on sunlight reflection, SAR can capture images of the ground surface in all weather conditions and at any time of the day or night.
With the StriX constellation, Synspective aims to equip companies, governments, and research organisations with user-friendly information data that can be used for urban development planning, construction and infrastructure monitoring, and disaster response.
The StriX-? satellite will be the sole payload on the Electron launch vehicle for this mission, giving Synspective the ability to select the exact orbit, launch site, and launch timing that best suits the companys needs.
Commenting on the agreement, Rocket Lab Founder and Chief Executive, Peter Beck, said: Were delighted to welcome Synspective to Electron, and were honoured to play such a pivotal role in the development of the StriX constellation. We understand just how important it is to have control over your orbit and your launch schedule when building out a constellation, so were proud to be delivering that capability to Synspective on Electron.
Synspective Founder and CEO Motoyuki Arai, added: We are very pleased to work with Rocket Lab, a pioneer in rocket ventures. We are also grateful for their flexibility in accepting our requests on the satellites orbit and launch period. This year, we will launch our first satellite as well as our SAR data solutions. With this launch, we are taking a very important step towards establishing Synspective’s one-stop service.
