The Sea God Surveys (iQPS Launch 9)

Tuesday, November 3, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC

Mission brief

What is happening

Rocket Lab is launching The Sea God Surveys (iQPS Launch 9) on a Electron from Unknown Pad at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand. It is an Earth observation mission heading to Low Earth Orbit.

Why it matters

Earth observation satellites feed weather forecasting, climate records and disaster response, so their data outlives the launch by decades.

At a glance

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Payload: The Sea God Surveys (iQPS Launch 9)
Mission type: Earth Science
Rocket: Electron
Provider: Rocket Lab
Launch site: Unknown Pad

Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.

What changed

Every change to this schedule, logged as it happened. Most trackers only ever show you today's date.

OCT 23 · 8:15 AM UTC
Window closes 1 day earlier
2026-11-04 00:00 UTC → 2026-11-03 00:00 UTC
Detected by RocketRune
OCT 23 · 8:15 AM UTC
Window opens 1 day earlier
2026-11-04 00:00 UTC → 2026-11-03 00:00 UTC
Detected by RocketRune
OCT 23 · 8:15 AM UTC
Moved 1 day earlier
2026-11-04 00:00 UTC → 2026-11-03 00:00 UTC
Detected by RocketRune

3 more entries in the full history of this launch. RocketRune Pro shows every change and every dated note.

Schedule confidence

LOW

Treat this date as provisional.

Why does RocketRune rate it this way?

A launch date is set but no time has been published.
The provider has not committed to this date.
No launch window has been published, only a target time.
The launch time has held for 4 days.

This is a RocketRune assessment of how firm the published schedule is, not a prediction of launch success. It is calculated from the date precision and status published by the launch provider, plus the schedule changes RocketRune has recorded for this mission.

Where you can see it

BEST NEARBY VIEW

Gisborne

Good · Look high overhead, slightly south

High overhead, 65° above your horizon
Daylight, you'll see a contrail rather than a plume
42 miles to the pad, south

City	Distance	Look	Elevation
GisborneNew Zealand	42 mi	south	65°
NapierNew Zealand	53 mi	east-northeast	60°
WellingtonNew Zealand	215 mi	northeast	22°

Direction and elevation are calculated from the pad position and the published launch time. Cloud cover is not included here because a forecast changes faster than this page updates. The live tracker scores the sky over your own location.

Launch site: Unknown Pad, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
Vehicle: Electron
Provider: Rocket Lab
Orbit: LEO
Payload: The Sea God Surveys (iQPS Launch 9)
Status: To Be Determined
Vehicle height: 18 m
Liftoff thrust: 162 kN
Vehicle type flights: 98
Vehicle type success rate: 95.9%

Can you see this launch from where you are?

RocketRune works out the direction to look, how high the rocket will sit in your sky, the cloud forecast over you and whether the plume will be lit, then scores it out of 100.

Open the live tracker

Other upcoming launches

See the full launch schedule