Rocket Lab Signs Deal to Launch South Korean Satellite
Stay informed with our
free newsletters

Rocket Lab Signs Deal to Launch South Korean Satellite

KAIST’s NeonSat-1 will launch as the primary payload on an Electron rideshare mission with NASA in the first half of 2024.

Long Beach, California. December 7, 2023 – Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced it has signed a launch services agreement to launch an Earth observation satellite for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) on a rideshare mission in the first half of 2024.

KAIST’s NeonSat-1 will be the primary payload on an Electron rideshare mission that will also deploy NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, or ACS3 satellite. The mission will lift-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.

Global Space Launch Systems - Market and Technology Forecast to 2027

Global Space Launch Systems - Market and Technology Forecast to 2027

Market forecasts by Region, Technology, Application, Orbit, Launch service, and Payload. Market and Technology Overview, and Leading Companies

Download free sample pages More information

“2024 is shaping up to be our busiest launch year yet with a fully booked manifest of Electron missions,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck. “By combining this mission with the launch of NASA’s ACS3 spacecraft, we’ve been able to provide KAIST with a launch opportunity on short notice to help them reach orbit faster. It’s a privilege to be working with the KAIST team and we are thrilled to be providing them with timely and affordable launch services on Electron.”

Jae-Hung Han, Director General of the Satellite Technology Research Center (SaTReC) at KAIST said: "We highly anticipate collaborating with Rocket Lab for a successful launch of our first satellite of the NEONSAT microsatellite constellation program."

NeonSat-1 is a high-resolution optical satellite that will be deployed as a technology demonstration for a planned future Earth observation constellation. KAIST is Korea’s leading science and technology institution, having developed and operated Korea’s very first satellite KAIST when it was successfully launched more than 30 years ago.

In addition to being launched by Electron, KAIST’s NeonSat-1 will use Rocket Lab’s MLB satellite separation system in the Company’s latest demonstration of its vertically integrated space systems strategy.


Publishdate:
Dec 8, 2023

Space Operations Summit 2025

Space Operations Summit 2025

London, United Kingdom
May 21 - 22, 2025

View agenda
Cybersecurity Law and Compliance Conference

Cybersecurity Law and Compliance Conference

Arlington, VA
Jan 29 - 30, 2025

View agenda