The Mountain God Guards
The Mountain God Guards was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for iQPS that launched successfully at 15:31 UTC on 11 June 2025 (3:31 a.m. NZST on 12 June; 11:31 a.m. EDT on 11 June) from Launch Complex 1A on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
15:31 UTC on 11 June 2025 · 3:31 a.m. NZST on 12 June · 11:31 a.m. EDT on 11 June
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 hitura-nobad Source: youtube.com
Updates via Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs).
Name Origin
Named for QPS-SAR-11 "YAMATSUMI-I." Oyamatsumi is the Shinto great mountain deity, sibling of Amaterasu and Susanoo. He rules mountains and seas, enshrined at Mishima shrines across Japan.
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 44° below the horizon at liftoff — full night, the plume stays in Earth's shadow.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 3:31 a.m. NZST · 15:31 UTC
- Astronomical dawn (−18°)
- 5:48 a.m. NZST · 17:48 UTC
- Nautical dawn (−12°)
- 6:21 a.m. NZST · 18:21 UTC
- Civil dawn (−6°)
- 6:55 a.m. NZST · 18:55 UTC
- Sunrise
- 7:25 a.m. NZST · 19:25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yamatsumi-I 2025-125A · Payload | Operator Kabushikigaisha QPS kenkyujo | Built by Kabushikigaisha QPS kenkyujo QSAT | Mass 120 kg | Orbit 552 × 567 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 64340 |
Electron 66 Kick Stage 2025-125B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 42 kg | Orbit 182 × 233 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2025-09-17 | NORAD 64341 |
Electron 66 Stage 2 2025-125C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 148 × 192 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2025-07-24 | NORAD 64342 |
deb Electron 2025-125D · Debris | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. | Mass 0 kg | Orbit 213 × 488 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2025-06-12 | NORAD 64343 |
