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Electron | Raise and Shine (RAISE-4)

December 14, 2025 at 3:09 AM UTC

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Electron | Raise and Shine (RAISE-4) launch image
Mission imagery · Electron

Launch details

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December 14, 2025 at 3:09 AM UTC

Status: Launch Successful · Live feed refreshes every 30 seconds

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand · -39.2628, 177.8645

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Rocket
Electron
Launch site
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Launch probability
90%
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December 14, 2025 at 3:09 AM UTC
Window closes
December 14, 2025 at 3:09 AM UTC
Feed updated
December 15, 2025 at 7:40 PM UTC

Mission description

RAISE-4 (RApid Innovative payload demonstration Satellite-4) is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) satellite for on-orbit demonstrations of 15 demonstration components and equipment selected by public solicitation. The satellite will be operated in response to requests from the demonstration theme proposers, and will provide experimental data of the demonstration devices and environmental data during the experiments. 6 of the demonstration payload, as well as as well as 4 cubesats originally planned to ride on the same launch vehicle, are re-flight of those planned for RAISE-3, which failed to reach orbit in October 2022. The launch vehicle was switched from Epsilon-S to Rocket Lab's Electron due to continuous testing problems with the Epsilon-S' 2nd stage motor. The original 8 hitch-hiking cubesats will be launched on another Electron rocket later.

Mission media

Watch the launch.

Rocket Lab - 'RAISE and Shine' Launch for JAXA

Full video record
Vehicle

Electron

Height

18 m

Diameter

1.2 m

LEO capacity

300 kg

Successful launches

88

Launch complex

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 is a commercial spaceport located close to Ahuriri Point at the southern tip of Māhia Peninsula, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is owned and operated by private spaceflight company Rocket Lab and supports launches of the company's Electron rocket for small satellites. With the launch of Electron on 25 May 2017, it became the first private spaceport to host an orbital launch attempt, and the first site in New Zealand to host an orbital launch attempt. With the Electron launch of 21 January 2018, it became the first private spaceport to host a successful orbital launch.

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Mission updates

Launch success.

December 14, 2025 at 11:01 AM UTC · Nosu

Spacecraft separation.

December 14, 2025 at 4:06 AM UTC · Cosmic_Penguin

Liftoff.

December 14, 2025 at 3:09 AM UTC · Cosmic_Penguin

Updated launch weather, 90% GO.

December 14, 2025 at 12:26 AM UTC · Cosmic_Penguin

Tweaked T-0.

December 13, 2025 at 9:14 PM UTC · Cosmic_Penguin