(NET) Electron • QPS-SAR 11

(NET) Electron • QPS-SAR 11

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket topped with a Curie upper stage will launch the QPS-SAR 11 satellite (named ?) for iQPS of Japan. Rocket Lab's mission will be named "?" and fly with an extended fairing. - QPS-SAR are operational satellites in a series of small high-resolution SAR (synthetic aperture radar) Earth observation sats by the QPS Institute (iQPS). The 100kg satellites feature a 3.6m diameter antenna of only 10kg. It can distinguish objects 1 meter long and identify cars on the road. Compared to the prototypes (QPS-SAR 1, 2), these satellites have increased power due to two deployable solar arrays and increased battery capacity. They also feature thrusters for station keeping. The planned constellation will have 36 satellites. Webcast:  https://www.rocketlabusa.com/live-stream https://spaceflightnow.com/

📍 LC-1B, PVQ8+R3, Māhia 4198, Neuseeland

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