"Kakushin Rising" is Rocket Lab's second dedicated mission for JAXA.
Rocket Lab will launch "Kakushin Rising" from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand using the Electron small launch vehicle.
The liftoff for "Kakushin Rising" is scheduled for 03:09 UTC on April 23, 2026.
Rocket Lab will launch the dedicated mission "Kakushin Rising" for JAXA no earlier than April 23, 2026.
Rocket Lab’s Kakushin Rising mission will carry 8 cubesats for JAXA.
Rocket Lab scheduled the Kakushin Rising mission for April 23 at 03:09 UTC.
Exolaunch’s EXOpod NOVA deployers have been selected to provide satellite deployment services for the Kakushin Rising mission.
Eight customer satellites will fly on the Kakushin Rising mission led by JAXA and supported by Exolaunch.
Exolaunch will provide flight-proven separation systems and mission integration expertise for the Kakushin Rising mission.
The Kakushin Rising mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than April 23, 2026 on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand.
The eight satellites deployed on the Kakushin Rising mission are MAGNARO-II, KOSEN-2R, WASEDA-SAT-ZERO-II, FSI-SAT2, OrigamiSat-2, Mono-Nikko, ARICA-2, and PRELUDE.
The Kakushin Rising mission is part of JAXA’s Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-4 program.
JAXA originally intended to launch the Kakushin Rising satellites on a Japanese Epsilon-S rocket.
The Kakushin Rising mission is an on-orbit demonstration platform for Japanese universities, research institutes, and private companies.
The satellites deployed on the Kakushin Rising mission include an ocean-monitoring satellite, a demonstrator for ultra-small multispectral cameras, and a satellite with a deployable antenna that expands to twenty-five times its launch size in orbit.
Exolaunch will use EXOpod NOVA deployers to release eight spacecraft into sun-synchronous orbit on the Kakushin Rising mission.
Final integration of the eight Kakushin Rising spacecraft took place at the University of Auckland in New Zealand before transport to the Māhia launch site.
JAXA selected Exolaunch to provide satellite deployment services for the Kakushin Rising mission.
Exolaunch is also responsible for end-to-end mission integration services for the Kakushin Rising mission.
Significant delays in the Epsilon-S program following multiple test-firing failures led JAXA to reassign the Kakushin Rising mission to Rocket Lab’s Electron.