Electron | Raise and Shine (RAISE-4)
Electron launched the Raise and Shine (RAISE-4) mission for Rocket Lab from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand on Dec 14, 2025 (UTC).
Launch pad
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B · Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
Electron | Raise and Shine (RAISE-4)
Launched Dec 14, 2025 12:09:00 PMSuccess
1 object in orbit now
Flight direction
190° S
measured from the launched orbit · inclination 97.5°
Flight path
First-stage drop zone (rough estimate)
Drawn 400–700 km downrange along the flight direction. Official hazard areas are published as NOTAMs and navigational warnings.
About the mission
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 description from Launch Library 2.
Objects from this launch still in orbit
- Launch time (your time zone)
- Sun, Dec 14 · 12:09:00 PM
- Status
- Success
- Launch provider
- Rocket Lab
- Rocket
- Electron
- Mission type
- Technology
- Target orbit
- SSO
- Launch pad
- Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B · Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand