Rocket Lab launches Japanese 'origami' satellite, 7 other spacecraft to orbit (photos)

Rocket Lab sent eight Japanese satellites to orbit from New Zealand on Wednesday night (April 22), including one with a unique "origami" construction. An Electron vehicle launched the "Kakuchin Rising" mission from Rocket Lab 's New Zealand site on Wednesday at 11:09 p.m. EDT (0309 GMT and 3:19 p.m. local New Zealand time on Thursday, April 23). The satellites were deployed into low Earth orbit , at an altitude of 336 miles (540 kilometers), a little under an hour after launch as planned, Rocket Lab announced via X . Article continues below View from the upper stage of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket during the "Kakushin Rising" launch on April 22, 2026. The first stage is visible falling back to Earth. (Image credit: Rocket Lab) "Kakuchin Rising" is the second of two contracted Electron missions for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's ( JAXA ) Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program. The first such flight, which Rocket Lab called "RAISE and Shine," occurred last December . It sent JAXA's Rapid Innovative payload demonstration Satellite-4, known as RAISE-4, to low Earth orbit to test a variety of technologies. The eight satellites flying on "Kakuchin Rising" are a diverse bunch. …