The Harvest Goddess Thrives
The Harvest Goddess Thrives was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for iQPS that launched successfully at 04:10 UTC on 5 August 2025 (4:10 p.m. NZST on 5 August; 12:10 a.m. EDT on 5 August) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
04:10 UTC on 5 August 2025 · 4:10 p.m. NZST on 5 August · 12:10 a.m. EDT on 5 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
-
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).
Name Origin
Named for QPS-SAR-12 "KUSHINADA-I." Kushinadahime is the Shinto rice-field goddess rescued by Susanoo from the eight-headed dragon Yamata-no-Orochi. Her name means "princess of the rice paddies."
Mission Overview
Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.
Technical Details
40
kiwisLaunch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 12° above the horizon at liftoff — daylight, the sky is too bright.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 4:10 p.m. NZST · 04:10 UTC
- Sunset
- 5:21 p.m. NZST · 05:21 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 5:49 p.m. NZST · 05:49 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 6:22 p.m. NZST · 06:22 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 6:53 p.m. NZST · 06:53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kushinada-I 2025-169A · Payload | Operator Kabushikigaisha QPS kenkyujo | Built by Kabushikigaisha QPS kenkyujo QSAT | Mass 120 kg | Orbit 555 × 568 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 65116 |
Electron 69 Kick Stage 2025-169B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 42 kg | Orbit 553 × 567 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 65117 |
Electron 69 Stage 2 2025-169C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 169 × 236 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2025-09-05 | NORAD 65118 |
