The Lightning God Defends
The Lightning God Defends was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for iQPS that launched successfully at 13:04 UTC on 20 August 2026 (1:04 a.m. NZST on 21 August; 9:04 a.m. EDT on 20 August) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
13:04 UTC on 20 August 2026 · 1:04 a.m. NZST on 21 August · 9:04 a.m. EDT on 20 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
- MISSION SUCCESS: Rocket Lab Launches 93rd Electron Mission (opens in a new tab) Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab launched its 93rd Electron mission on August 20, 2026, deploying an Earth-imaging satellite for the Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space.
- Rocket Lab launches private Japanese Earth-observing satellite to orbit (video) (opens in a new tab) Space.com
Rocket Lab launched iQPS's SUSANOO-II radar satellite on an Electron rocket from New Zealand on Aug; 20, its 14th launch of 2026.
- Rocket Lab launches 9th satellite for iQPS (opens in a new tab) SpaceNews
Rocket Lab launched its ninth iQPS satellite on August 20, deploying the QPS-SAR-18 spacecraft from New Zealand.
Technical Details
40
kiwis- The Lightning God Defends rocketlabcorp.com
Launch data cross-checked against Wikipedia.
Was this a jellyfish launch?
UnlikelySun 60° below the horizon at liftoff — full night, the plume stays in Earth's shadow.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 1:04 a.m. NZST · 13:04 UTC
- Astronomical dawn (−18°)
- 5:18 a.m. NZST · 17:18 UTC
- Nautical dawn (−12°)
- 5:49 a.m. NZST · 17:49 UTC
- Civil dawn (−6°)
- 6:20 a.m. NZST · 18:20 UTC
- Sunrise
- 6:48 a.m. NZST · 18:48 UTC
Twilight times at the pad (Mahia, NZ) for the morning 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-18 (SUSANOO-II) 2026-191A · Payload | Operator — | Built by — | Mass — | Orbit 568 × 581 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 100401 |
ELECTRON R/B 2026-191B · Stage | Operator — | Built by — | Mass — | Orbit 242 × 462 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 100402 |
ELECTRON KICK STAGE R/B 2026-191C · Stage | Operator — | Built by — | Mass — | Orbit 253 × 475 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 100403 |
