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The Lightning God Defends (iQPS Launch 8)

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Rocket Lab

The Lightning God Defends (iQPS Launch 8)

Success

Electron

T-minus to liftoff

HOURS

MINUTES

SECONDS

Thursday August 20 2026, 13:04:45 UTC

StatusSuccess

Scrub riskLOW

Go99%

VehicleElectron

OrbitLow Earth Orbit

PadRocket Lab Launch Complex 1B

Launch CodexDossier

Every source for this mission in one place — news, social, references, notes & the exact timeline.

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General trajectory

3 hazard areas

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Launching

East

106° · ESE

-39.263, 177.864

Orbital elements (TLE)

2 element sets

Orbit

Apogee580 km

Perigee564 km

Period96.1 min

Inclination42.03°

Launch heading 106° · ESE from The Lightning God Defends PO.

Parking orbitThe Lightning God Defends PO› conemedium

1 70174U 26191A 26232.55125000 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 9991

2 70174 42.0304 099.9030 0296279 242.4400 023.1000 15.62672872 07

OrbitThe Lightning God Defendsmedium

1 70174U 26191A 26232.57879630 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 9998

2 70174 42.0304 099.9458 0011762 242.5078 178.0678 14.98384843 02

Pre-launch TLEs from Dillon's Space Page. Estimated before flight — the real orbit is confirmed post-launch.

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Mission

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

Q's read

Weather & scrubLOW risk

Weather Go99%LL2 Go80%Wind11 m/sGusts26 m/sCloud100%Temp11°C

Hazards (2)All areas →Download pack

2300/2026space debrisSep 4, 17:45Z – Sep 4, 17:45Z
HYDROPAC 2300/26. SOUTH PACIFIC. 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS 0430Z TO 1645Z DAILY 15 AUG THRU 04 SEP IN AREAS BOUND BY: A. 39-27.00S 176-36.00W, 40-12.00S 169-30.00W, 42-24.00S 169-48.00W, 41-24.00S 177-00.00W. B. 41-00.00S 162-00.00W, 41-00.00S 154-24.00W, 43-00.00S 154-00.00W, 43-00.00S 161-48.00W. 2. CANCEL THIS MSG 041745Z SEP 26.
Hazard card →
2299/2026rocket launchSep 4, 17:45Z – Sep 4, 17:45Z
HYDROPAC 2299/26. SOUTH PACIFIC. NEW ZEALAND. 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING 0430Z TO 1645Z DAILY 15 AUG THRU 04 SEP IN AREA BOUND BY 39-12.00S 177-48.00E, 39-12.00S 177-57.00E, 39-07.20S 178-12.00E, 39-12.00S 179-00.00E, 39-45.00S 178-51.60E, 39-26.40S 177-31.80E. 2. CANCEL THIS MSG 041745Z SEP 26.

Launch Timeline

Countdown

T-00:02:00

Startup

T-00:00:02

Ignition

In-flight

T+00:00:00

Liftoff

T+00:00:58

Supersonic

T+00:01:09

Max-Q

T+00:02:26

MECO

T+00:02:29

Stage 2 Separation

T+00:02:33

SES

T+00:03:36

Fairing Separation

T+00:06:28

Battery Hotswap

T+00:09:01

SECO

T+00:09:05

Kick Stage Separation

T+00:46:33

Kick Stage Ignition

T+00:49:27

Kick Stage Cut-off

T+00:50:18

Payload Separation

Quick facts

VehicleElectron

OrbitLow Earth Orbit

PadRocket Lab Launch Complex 1B

SiteRocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

WindowThursday August 20 2026, 13:04:45 UTC→Thursday August 20 2026, 13:04:45 UTC

Vehicle

Height18 m

Diameter1.2 m

Stages3

ReusableNo

LEO capacity300 kg

Track record92/96 successful

Landings7/9