The Grain Goddess Provides
The Grain Goddess Provides was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for iQPS that launched successfully at 09:18 UTC on 6 August 2026 (9:18 p.m. NZST on 6 August; 5:18 a.m. EDT on 6 August) from Launch Complex 1A on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
09:18 UTC on 6 August 2026 · 9:18 p.m. NZST on 6 August · 5:18 a.m. EDT on 6 August
Mission State
This mission currently has a dated launch window in the tracker.
The primary watch link points to an official Rocket Lab source.
Launch Updates
-
Launch success with satellite in contact.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: i-qps.net -
Spacecraft separation.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: youtube.com -
Liftoff.
by Cosmic_Penguin Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Mission Overview
Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.
In the news
- Rocket Lab launches Japanese Earth-observing satellite after 5-week delay (video, photos) (opens in a new tab) Space.com
Rocket Lab launched iQPS's QPS-SAR-13 radar satellite on Aug; 6 after a five-week delay; The Electron mission, "The Grain Goddess Provides," was the company's 92nd launch.
- Rocket Lab Successfully Completes 92nd Electron Mission, 8th Launch for iQPS Earth-Imaging Constellation (opens in a new tab) Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab launched its 13th Electron rocket of the year on August 6, 2026, completing the 92nd Electron mission and the eighth launch for the iQPS Earth-Imaging Constellation.
- Rocket Lab launches 8th iQPS satellite (opens in a new tab) SpaceNews
Rocket Lab launched the QPS-SAR-13 radar-imaging satellite for iQPS on Aug; 6 from New Zealand after a June 30 scrub.
Technical Details
40
kiwisLaunch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 45° below the horizon at liftoff — full night, the plume stays in Earth's shadow.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 9:18 p.m. NZST · 09:18 UTC
- Sunset
- 5:22 p.m. NZST · 05:22 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 5:50 p.m. NZST · 05:50 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 6:22 p.m. NZST · 06:22 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 6:54 p.m. NZST · 06:54 UTC
Twilight times at the pad (Mahia, NZ) for the evening of the launch.
What's a rocket jellyfish? When a rocket launches in twilight, the ground is dark but its exhaust plume climbs into sunlight high above. The expanding plume glows against the dark sky in a jellyfish-like shape.
Space-Object Catalog
| Object | Operator | Built by | Mass | Orbit | Status | NORAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
QPS-SAR-13 (MIKURA-I) 2026-180A · Payload | Operator — | Built by — | Mass — | Orbit 569 × 578 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 100243 |
ELECTRON KICK STAGE R/B 2026-180B · Stage | Operator — | Built by — | Mass — | Orbit 569 × 580 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 100244 |
ELECTRON R/B 2026-180C · Stage | Operator — | Built by — | Mass — | Orbit 158 × 199 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2026-09-26 | NORAD 100245 |
