Rocket Lab's Kick Stage places StriX satellite into 572km orbit

(SpaceEnergy) Rocket Lab has launched its 96th Electron mission, with the rocket's in-space Kick Stage placing Synspective's 12th StriX radar satellite directly into a 572km low Earth orbit.

The Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 15:22 NZST on 19 September. Rocket Lab said the Kick Stage achieved the specified orbit with “pinpoint accuracy”, supporting immediate integration of the spacecraft into Synspective's Earth-observation constellation.

The flight, named Owl By The Dozen, was Rocket Lab's 17th launch of 2026. It continued a multi-year launch programme for Synspective, under which Rocket Lab has 15 further dedicated Electron missions manifested through the end of the decade to complete the Japanese company's commercial synthetic-aperture radar constellation.

The Kick Stage provides the final in-space propulsion phase after Electron's launch stages, allowing payload deployment into a targeted orbit. The 19 September flight therefore represents a further operational use of Rocket Lab's orbital propulsion architecture rather than solely a launch-vehicle milestone.