Rocket Lab Corporation, a global leader in launch services and space systems, successfully launched its 81st Electron rocket and second launch in eight days to deploy a satellite for an Earth-observation constellation by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Korea’s leading university dedicated to science and technology.

‘Bridging The Swarm’ lifted off on January 30th at 2:21 p.m. NZDT (01:21 UTC) from Rocket Lab’s private orbital launch site, Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, to deploy the NEONSAT-1A satellite to a 540 km low Earth orbit. NEONSAT-1A is an advanced Earth observation satellite that will test the capabilities of the South Korean government’s future constellation of NEONSAT satellites to monitor natural disasters and national security events along the Korean Peninsula. The first satellite of this constellation, NEONSAT-1, was deployed by Rocket Lab in 2024 on a mission called ‘Beginning of The Swarm’.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, says: “Two launches in eight days is a strong start to the year that speaks volumes about the demand for Electron and the excellence and dedication of the Rocket Lab team. We cemented our position as the leader in reliable and responsive launch with our record-breaking year of launches in 2025, and these latest launches show we’re gearing up for an even busier launch year in 2026.”

“Bridging The Swarm” was Rocket Lab’s second mission of 2026 and its 81st launch overall. Upcoming launches in 2026 include missions for commercial Earth observation, international space agencies, national security, and hypersonic technology development.

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