Rocket Lab launches final set of Kinéis satellites

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab has completed the deployment of a constellation of Internet-of-Things satellites for French company Kinéis with a launch March 17.

An Electron rocket lifted off from Pad A of Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 9:31 p.m. Eastern. The payload of five satellites for Kinéis were deployed by the rocket’s kick stage into sun-synchronous orbits at altitudes of 650 kilometers a little more than an hour later.

The launch was the fifth and final mission under a contract signed by the companies in 2021. Each launch carried five satellites, weighing 28 kilograms each, to complete a 25-satellite constellation. Those launches started in June 2024, with subsequent launches in September and November 2024 and on Feb. 8.

The satellites will provide Internet-of-Things (IoT) communications services and track vessels using Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders. Kinéis plans to begin commercial services with the satellites on June 1, offering data with a latency of no more than 15 minutes.

“Since 2018, we have led an ambitious project and this launch, the final one in a series of five, crowns an exceptional effort carried out with solid partners like Rocket Lab, enabling the deployment of our IoT-dedicated constellation in less than a year,” Christophe Vassal, chairman of the supervisory board of Kinéis, said in a statement. “This achievement marks the beginning of a new era for Kinéis, where the data collected by our constellation will unlock numerous opportunities for our clients and partners.”

The company said it expects to be profitable this year and reach annual revenues of 20 million euros ($22 million) in 2026, growing to 100 million euros in the next eight years.

For Rocket Lab, this was the second launch in a little more than 72 hours, after another Electron launched a radar imaging satellite for Japanese company iQPS March 14. It was the fourth launch so far this year for Rocket Lab, which previously stated it expects to perform more than 20 Electron launches, including of the HASTE suborbital version, this year.

“Many constellation operators wait years for their first mission, but we’ve deployed Kinéis’ mission in under a year and with 100% dedicated launches where they have been able to select launch site, date, and orbital parameters allowing them to maximize coverage for each of their 25 spacecraft,” Peter Beck, chief executive of Rocket Lab, said in a statement about the launch.

The company has noted that all its Electron missions so far this year, including for iQPS and imaging company BlackSky, have been for customers deploying constellations. Rocket Lab has argued that Electron is well-suited for that role to provide more control over orbits and schedule, even as many other satellite developers turn to low-cost rideshare launches offered by SpaceX.