Five Kinéis Satellites Deployed by Rocket Lab
Five Kinéis Satellites Deployed by Rocket Lab
Second of Five Dedicated Launches for the French Company
The 53rd Electron mission, launched from New Zealand, deployed five satellites to Low Earth Orbit for French Internet-of-Things (IoT) company Kinéis.
"Today’s successful launch marks another milestone for Rocket Lab as we continue to enable innovative companies like Kinéis to push the boundaries of global IoT connectivity."
Peter Beck, Rocket Lab
The ‘Kinéis Killed the RadIOT Star’ lifted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, at 11:01 a.m. on 21 September NZST (23:01, 20 September UTC), successfully deploying five satellites to a 643 km orbit. The mission was the second of five dedicated Electron launches for Kinéis, a company backed by private and public investors including the French government’s space agency CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales) and CLS (Collecte Localization Satellites), an international space-based solutions provider, to improve global IoT connectivity. The Kinéis constellation is designed to make it possible to connect and locate any connected object anywhere in the world, enabling data transmission to users in near-real time, at low bit rates and with very low energy consumption. By enabling internet connection to the Earth’s most remote locations, Kinéis constellation can support forest fire detection, water resource management, infrastructure and energy network monitoring, transport and logistics tracking, and much more.
"Today’s successful launch marks another milestone for Rocket Lab as we continue to enable innovative companies like Kinéis to push the boundaries of global IoT connectivity," said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck. "With each mission, we are bringing the world closer together, allowing vital data to be transmitted from the remotest corners of the Earth."
Across 53 launches Rocket Lab has now deployed 197 satellites for a diverse range of customers and missions, including NASA missions to the Moon, the National Reconnaissance Office and Space Force missions supporting national security and defense, scientific research to combat climate change, and commercial constellations providing vital data and services to millions of people on Earth.