The Nation God Navigates
The Nation God Navigates was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for iQPS that launched successfully at 19:51 UTC on 5 November 2025 (8:51 a.m. NZDT on 6 November; 2:51 p.m. EST on 5 November) from Launch Complex 1B on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
19:51 UTC on 5 November 2025 · 8:51 a.m. NZDT on 6 November · 2:51 p.m. EST on 5 November
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 and in good health.
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-14 "YACHIHOKO-I." Yachihoko is an alternate name for Okuninushi, the Shinto god of nation-building and earth — enshrined at Izumo-taisha. He built Japan alongside Sukunabikona.
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 33° above the horizon at liftoff — daylight, the sky is too bright.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 8:51 a.m. NZDT · 19:51 UTC
- Astronomical dawn (−18°)
- 4:10 a.m. NZDT · 15:10 UTC
- Nautical dawn (−12°)
- 4:49 a.m. NZDT · 15:49 UTC
- Civil dawn (−6°)
- 5:24 a.m. NZDT · 16:24 UTC
- Sunrise
- 5:53 a.m. NZDT · 16:53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yachihoko-I 2025-252A · Payload | Operator Kabushikigaisha QPS kenkyujo | Built by Kabushikigaisha QPS kenkyujo QSAT | Mass 120 kg | Orbit 563 × 570 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 66316 |
Electron 74 Kick Stage 2025-252B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 42 kg | Orbit 157 × 202 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2025-12-05 | NORAD 66317 |
Electron 74 Stage 2 2025-252C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 168 × 232 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2025-11-30 | NORAD 66318 |
