The Sea God Sees
The Sea God Sees was a Rocket Lab Electron mission for iQPS that launched successfully at 08:17 UTC on 17 May 2025 (8:17 p.m. NZST on 17 May; 4:17 a.m. EDT on 17 May) from Launch Complex 1A on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.
08:17 UTC on 17 May 2025 · 8:17 p.m. NZST on 17 May · 4:17 a.m. EDT on 17 May
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-10 "WADATSUMI-I." Wadatsumi is the Shinto sea deity from the Kojiki, born from Izanagi's purification rites. Equivalent to Ryujin, he rules ocean tides and connects to Japan's imperial lineage.
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 37° below the horizon at liftoff — full night, the plume stays in Earth's shadow.
Details
- Unlikely
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Liftoff
- 8:17 p.m. NZST · 08:17 UTC
- Sunset
- 5:02 p.m. NZST · 05:02 UTC
- Civil dusk (−6°)
- 5:31 p.m. NZST · 05:31 UTC
- Nautical dusk (−12°)
- 6:04 p.m. NZST · 06:04 UTC
- Astronomical dusk (−18°)
- 6:36 p.m. NZST · 06:36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wadatsumi-I 2025-104A · Payload | Operator Kabushikigaisha QPS kenkyujo | Built by Kabushikigaisha QPS kenkyujo QSAT | Mass 120 kg | Orbit 550 × 567 km · 42.0° | Status On orbit | NORAD 64055 |
Electron 64 Stage 2 2025-104B · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Electron St2 | Mass 250 kg | Orbit 162 × 206 km · 41.9° | Status Decayed 2025-06-26 | NORAD 64056 |
Electron 64 Kick Stage 2025-104C · Stage | Operator Rocket Lab Ltd. | Built by Rocket Lab Ltd. Kick Stage | Mass 42 kg | Orbit 209 × 261 km · 42.0° | Status Decayed 2025-09-20 | NORAD 64057 |
