The “Owl The Way Up” mission is scheduled to launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand during a launch window that opens on December 21th Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (December 17 UTC).
The mission will deploy a single StriX satellite to orbit for Synspective. The mission will be the sixth in a total of 16 launches booked on Electron for Synspective, a Japanese Earth observation company operating a constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites designed to deliver imagery that can detect millimeter-level changes to the Earth’s surface from space.
Rocket Lab first launched for Synspective in December 2020 and has been the sole launch provider for Synspective’s constellation to date.
A live webcast will be available from T-20 mins on launch day at www.rocketlabusa.com/live-stream
The forecast calls for a temperature of 66°F, overcast clouds, 100% cloud cover and a wind speed of 20mph.
Synspective’s small SAR satellites, StriX, are equipped with a SAR sensor which can observe the
Earth’s surface in any weather condition day or night. Not affected by clouds or rain, SAR is suitable for
persistent monitoring of disasters and detailed changes to secure critical infrastructure and other
facilities. Example use cases include:
- detecting anomalies in road, rail, energy and other infrastructure, resulting in lower maintenance costs and accident risk,
- monitoring crop growth conditions and analyzing soil and vegetation health to help reduce costs and increase efficiency for farmers,
- detecting illegal logging and fishing in the most remote parts of the world,
- providing rapid damage assessment after flooding, landslides and volcanic eruptions, as well as risk assessment for land subsidence,
- enabling the persistent monitoring of maritime traffic, border activities and other potential security threats, and advancesmaritime domain awareness,
- analyzing tree cover to calculate CO2 absorption and carbon credits