Satellite deployers to be used on JAXA small satellite mission by Exolaunch
NewsApril 06, 2026
BERLIN, Germany. Exolaunch will deploy eight customer satellites for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kakushin Rising mission aboard a Rocket Lab Electron launch, the company announced in a statement.
The mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than April 2026 from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand, according to the statement. Exolaunch says it will use its EXOpod NOVA deployers to release the spacecraft after reaching orbit and will also provide mission integration services.
JAXA’s Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-4 mission is intended to provide on-orbit demonstration opportunities for Japanese universities, research institutes, and private companies, the statement reads. The payload includes educational small satellites, an ocean-monitoring satellite, a demonstration satellite carrying an ultra-small multispectral camera, and an antenna designed to fold compactly and then expand after deployment, the company says.
Exolaunch says the eight satellites are in final integration at the University of Auckland before shipment to the Māhia launch site. The company adds that the mission reflects growing demand for launch integration and deployment services as small satellite activity expands in Japan and across Asia.
