Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB), a global leader in launch services, has successfully launched the company's 42nd Electron mission. This launch marks Rocket Lab’s 10th Electron mission in 2023, surpassing its prior record of nine launches in 2022.

The mission, dubbed “The Moon Walk”, lifted off from Pad B at Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, carrying a lone satellite for a Japan-based Earth imaging company.

The satellite, named "TSUKUYOMI-I" after the Japanese God of the Moon,  is a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite designed to capture high-resolution Earth images. 

Its purpose is to join another iQPS satellite in orbit, forming part of a 36-satellite constellation aimed at monitoring specific fixed Earth points every 10 minutes. Notably, alongside its Electron launch, the satellite will showcase Rocket Lab’s Mark II Motorized Lightband (MLB) as its separation system, highlighting the Company’s integrated space systems approach.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck stated: “We’re delighted to be providing iQPS with a dedicated ride to orbit, enabling them to tailor the orbit, launch timing and integration process to meet specific mission requirements.”

Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has delivered more than 170 satellites to orbit to date.

Shares of Rocket Lab trade on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol RKLB.