The Lightning God Reigns
The Lightning God Reigns was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for iQPS that launched successfully at 00:00 UTC on 15 March 2025 (1:00 p.m. NZDT on 15 March; 8:00 p.m. EDT on 14 March) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
00:00 UTC on 15 March 2025 · 1:00 p.m. NZDT on 15 March · 8:00 p.m. EDT on 14 March
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; 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-9 "SUSANOO-I." Susanoo-no-Mikoto is the Shinto god of storms, born from Izanagi alongside Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. His storm domain encompasses lightning, making him the "lightning god" in the mission title.
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 53° above the horizon at liftoff — daylight, the sky is too bright.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 1:00 p.m. NZDT · 00:00 UTC
- Astronomical dawn (−18°)
- 5:35 a.m. NZDT · 16:35 UTC
- Nautical dawn (−12°)
- 6:07 a.m. NZDT · 17:07 UTC
- Civil dawn (−6°)
- 6:39 a.m. NZDT · 17:39 UTC
- Sunrise
- 7:06 a.m. NZDT · 18:06 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Susanoo-I 2025-050A · Payload | Operator Kabushikigaisha QPS kenkyujo | Built by Kabushikigaisha QPS kenkyujo QSAT | Mass 120 kg | Orbit 550 × 559 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 63205 |
Electron 61 Stage 2 2025-050B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 177 × 246 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2025-04-10 | NORAD 63206 |
Electron 61 Kick Stage 2025-050C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 42 kg | Orbit 549 × 558 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 63207 |
