Bridging The Swarm
This follows previous launch attempts on Dec 11th and Dec 16th.
Third time's the charm?
| Scheduled for (UTC) |
2026-01-30 00:55:39 |
| Scheduled for (NZDT) |
2026-01-30 13:55:00 |
| Launch site |
Rocket Lab LC-1A, Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand |
| Booster recovery |
No |
| Launch vehicle |
Electron + Curie |
| Customer |
KASA |
| Payload |
NeonSat-1A |
| Mass |
100 kg |
| Target orbit |
Sun-Synchronous Orbit |
Stats
- 2nd launch for Rocket Lab in 2026.
- 81st overall launch for Rocket Lab.
Payload info:
Rocket Lab mission page
NextSpaceflight:
The NeonSat-1A, carrying a high-resolution optical camera, is designed to test the constellation capabilities of the South Korean government's Earth observation micro-satellite constellation NeonSat (New-space Earth Observation Satellite), in particular, technology improvements identified from operations of NeonSat-1 after its launch in April 2024. These technologies will, in turn, be incorporated into the next 10 NeonSats under construction, as well as providing more site re-visiting capabilities along with NeonSat-1.
The NeonSat constellation is the first satellite system developed by the government using a mass-production approach for precise monitoring of the Korean Peninsula, led by the Satellite Technology Research Center (SaTReC) at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Korea’s leading university dedicated to science and technology. Designed to capture near-real-time natural disaster monitoring for the Korean peninsula, KAIST’s NEONSAT constellation is a collaboration across multiple Korean academic, industry, and research institutions, including SaTReC, which is leading the program’s system design and engineering.
The NEONSAT program is funded by the Korean government’s Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT).
Previous mission: The Cosmos Will See You Now
Next mission: That’s Not A Knife